Senusret IV Seneferibre was an ancient Egyptian Theban king during the late Second Intermediate Period that is attested only through finds from Upper Egypt. The chronological position of Senusret IV is unclear, and even the Dynasty to which he belongs is debated.
Chronological position
Jürgen von Beckerath Senusret IV belonged to the late 13th Dynasty, while Kim Ryholt classifies him as a king of the 16th Dynasty with an uncertain position in the Dynasty. Alternatively, Norbert Dautzenberg proposed that Senusret IV is part of the 17th Dynasty. Dautzenberg bases this hypothesis on reading entry 11.4 of the Turin canon referring to Senusret IV. He also attributes graffiti on a gate of the Medamud temple, mentioning a king “Senusret” to Senusret IV since the gate was decorated by king Sobekemsaf I, who lived during the early 17th Dynasty. Ryholt rejects both arguments: first, Ryholt notes that the Turin canon entry 11.4 is not compatible with Senusret IV’s prenomen, and second, he observes that Senusret III built the gate of the temple of Medamud, so the graffiti is likely to refer to this king rather than Senusret IV. In the new arrangement, the Dynasty of Senusret IV is left partially undetermined, categorized as late 13th to early 17th.
Attestations of Senusret IV Seneferibre
Senusret IV is attested on the Karnak king list under his prenomen “Senefer[…]re”. The most important contemporary attestation of the king is a 2m 75 cm tall colossal statue of him, sculpted in pink granite and discovered in Karnak in 1901 by Georges Legrain. Other attestations include a block from El-Tod and the upper-right corner of a stela discovered in 1907 by Legrain in Karnak, inscribed with the date II Shemu 1 of the first regnal year of Senusret IV. Finally, a lintel from Edfu and an axe-blade bearing the nomen Senusret have also been attributed to Senusret IV based on stylistic considerations. In the case of the axe blade, however, some have attributed it to Senusret I.
