"Mesmerizing and Terrifying": Senusret III's Unique Macrotia

The ancient Egyptian pharaoh Senusret III was a legend to both his contemporaries and his descendants: an ideal of kingly power whose legacy of control and intimidation was remembered for centuries. Of particular note is the unique macrotia that the king's statues display. In this paper, we discuss possible etiologies of Senusret's unique presentation and ultimately conclude that Senusret's immortalized features were likely rooted in propaganda rather than a medical cause.