Sesostris
3 of the 7 encyclopedias on this shelf carry an entry for Sesostris. Both are reproduced below, so you can see where they agree and where they differ.
1000 Classical Characters (1900)
A celebrated king of Egypt, who lived long prior to the Trojan war. He was ambitious of military fame, and achieved many conquests. On his return from his victories he employed himself in encouraging the fine arts . He destroyed himself after a reign of forty-four years. Sestus (Ialova). A town in Thrace, situated at the narrowest part of the Hellespont, opposite Abydos in Asia , from which it was only seven stadia distant. It was founded by the Aeolians. It was celebrated in Grecian poetry on account of the loves of Leander and Hero , and in history on account of the bridge of boats which Xerxes here built across the Hellespont. Severus, Lucius Septimius. A Roman emperor, born in Africa, noticeable for his ambition. He invaded Britain, and built a wall in the north as a check to the incursions of the Caledonians. He died at York in the 211th year of the Christian era. Severus, M. Aurelius Alexander. A Roman emperor who reigned A. D. 222-235, the son of Gessius Marcianus and Julia Mamaea, and first cousin of Elagabalus, born at Arce, in Phoenicia, the 1st of October, A. D. 205. In 221 he was adopted by Elagabalus, and made Caesar; and on the death of Elagabalus, on the 11th of March, A. D. 222, Alexander ascended the throne. Alexander Severus was distinguished by justice, wisdom, and clemency in all public transactions, and by the simplicity and purity of his private life. Sextius or Sestius, P. Quaestor in B. c. 63, and tribune of the plebs in 57. He was defended by Cicero in an oration still extant, and was acquitted on the 14th of March, chiefly in consequence of the powerful influence of Pompey. 2026 Editor's Note: Sesostris is the name of a legendary king of Egypt, whose tales are probably based on the lives of pharaohs such as Senusret I, Senusret III, Shoshenq I, and Ramesses II. The historical accounts of his military campaigns across Asia and into Europe are not supported by contemporary Egyptian records. (Ed: BR 2026-06-28)
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
the most celebrated of the early kings of Egypt. According to the legend, which evidently confounds the military exploits of several monarchs, he, on succeeding to the throne, became ambitious of military fame, and marched at the head of a numerous army to make the conquest of the world. Libya, Æthiopia, Arabia, with all the islands of the Red Sea, were conquered; and the victorious monarch marched through Asia, and penetrated farther into the East than the conqueror of Darius. He also invaded Europe, defeated the Thracians, and placed columns in the several provinces he had subdued, bearing the pompous inscription, "Sesostris, the king of kings, has conquered this territory by his arms." After his return, he employed himself in encouraging the fine arts, and in improving the revenues of his kingdom. In his old age, Sesostris, having grown infirm and blind, destroyed himself. The time of Sesostris is placed from 1400 to 1250 B. C. Sesostris, so called by the Greeks, is identical with Rameses II., one of the most famous of the Pharaohs.
Aiton's Encyclopedia (1910)
in Greek legend, a king of Egypt who conquered the world. It is thought that the legend of Sesostris may have rested on the deeds of Rameses II and other real kings.