Third Intermediate Period
Osorkon III
23rd Dynasty (Libyan) · 818-715 BCE
Reign begins777 BCE
Reign ends749 BCE
Dynasty span818-715 BCE
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The victor of the civil war
Osorkon III was the son of Takelot II. Operating primarily as a military prince, he spent decades fighting a brutal civil war against the rival faction led by Pedubast I. He was utterly ruthless, burning the bodies of his defeated enemies to deny them an afterlife. After receiving vital military reinforcements from his brother in Herakleopolis, he successfully conquered Thebes and ascended the throne as the undisputed king of the 23rd Dynasty. He lived into his 80s, ruling for roughly 30 years.