Sobekhotep II
Encyclopedia
birth name: Sobekhotep
throne name: Sekhemre Khutawy
Sobekhotep II was an Egyptian
king
of the 13th Dynasty
.
He is known from several monuments, including a statue, several Nile
level records in Nubia
and from building works at Medamud
and Luxor
. The Nile level records provide a year date 'four', showing that he reigned at least three years.
The Papyrus Boulaq 18
found in the tomb of the scribe of the great enclosure Neferhotep
, is an administrative document of the Theban palace which dates to Sobekhotep II and names the 'king's wife' Aya
, the vizier
Ankhu
and other officials.
There is some dispute in Egyptology
over the position of this king in the 13th Dynasty. The throne name Sekhemre Khutawyre appears in the Turin King List
as the 19th king of the 13th Dynasty. However, the Nile level records and his appearance on a papyrus
found at Lahun indicate that he might date to the early 13th Dynasty. In both monument types so far only kings of the late 12th and early 13th Dynasty are mentioned.
In the Turin King List appears as first king Khutawyre and it is therefore possible that the writer of the list confused Khutawyre with Sekhemre Khutawy
(compare: Wegaf
).
Based on his name it has been suggested that Sobekhotep was a son of the last king of the 12th Dynasty
, King Amenemhat IV
. Sobekhotep may have been a brother of Sonbef, another ruler of the 13th Dynasty
.
throne name: Sekhemre Khutawy
Sobekhotep II was an Egyptian
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...
king
Pharaoh
Pharaoh is a title used in many modern discussions of the ancient Egyptian rulers of all periods. The title originates in the term "pr-aa" which means "great house" and describes the royal palace...
of the 13th Dynasty
Thirteenth dynasty of Egypt
The thirteenth dynasty of ancient Egypt is often combined with Dynasties XI, XII and XIV under the group title Middle Kingdom. Other writers separate it from these dynasties and join it to Dynasties XIV through XVII as part of the Second Intermediate Period...
.
He is known from several monuments, including a statue, several Nile
Nile
The Nile is a major north-flowing river in North Africa, generally regarded as the longest river in the world. It is long. It runs through the ten countries of Sudan, South Sudan, Burundi, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda and Egypt.The Nile has two major...
level records in Nubia
Nubia
Nubia is a region along the Nile river, which is located in northern Sudan and southern Egypt.There were a number of small Nubian kingdoms throughout the Middle Ages, the last of which collapsed in 1504, when Nubia became divided between Egypt and the Sennar sultanate resulting in the Arabization...
and from building works at Medamud
Medamud
Medamud was a settlement in Ancient Egypt. Its present-day territory is located about 8 km east-north from Luxor. The temple was excavated by Fernand Bisson de la Roque in 1925, who identified several structures dedicated to the war-god Monthu....
and Luxor
Luxor
Luxor is a city in Upper Egypt and the capital of Luxor Governorate. The population numbers 487,896 , with an area of approximately . As the site of the Ancient Egyptian city of Thebes, Luxor has frequently been characterized as the "world's greatest open air museum", as the ruins of the temple...
. The Nile level records provide a year date 'four', showing that he reigned at least three years.
The Papyrus Boulaq 18
Papyrus Boulaq 18
The Papyrus Boulaq 18 is an Ancient Egyptian document found in 1860 AD in the tomb of the scribe of the great enclosure Neferhotep. It is now in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo....
found in the tomb of the scribe of the great enclosure Neferhotep
Neferhotep (scribe of the great enclosure)
Neferhotep was an Ancient Egyptian official with the title scribe of the great enclosure. He lived during the 13th Dynasty, around 1750 BC. His tomb was found in 1860 by Auguste Mariette in Dra Abu el-Naga and contained an important range of objects, most notably of which was the Papyrus Boulaq 18...
, is an administrative document of the Theban palace which dates to Sobekhotep II and names the 'king's wife' Aya
Aya (Queen)
Aya was an Ancient Egyptian king's wife of the Thirteenth Dynasty.She is known from two sources. Aya appears on a stela now in Würzburg. From this source it is clear that she was part of an influential family of high court officials and was related to the Vizier Ankhu.She also appears in the...
, the vizier
Vizier (Ancient Egypt)
The vizier was the highest official in Ancient Egypt to serve the king, or pharaoh during the Old, Middle, and New Kingdoms. Vizier is the generally accepted rendering of ancient Egyptian tjati, tjaty etc, among Egyptologists...
Ankhu
Ankhu
Ankhu was an Egyptian vizier who lived in the 13th Dynasty around 1750 BC.Ankhu is known from several monuments dating to the reigns of the 13th Dynasty kings Khendjer and Sobekhotep II, attesting that he served several kings. Ankhu appears in the Papyrus Boulaq 18 as the head of the court...
and other officials.
There is some dispute in Egyptology
Egyptology
Egyptology is the study of ancient Egyptian history, language, literature, religion, and art from the 5th millennium BC until the end of its native religious practices in the AD 4th century. A practitioner of the discipline is an “Egyptologist”...
over the position of this king in the 13th Dynasty. The throne name Sekhemre Khutawyre appears in the Turin King List
Turin King List
The Turin King List, also known as the Turin Royal Canon, is a hieratic papyrus thought to date from the reign of Ramesses II, now in the Museo Egizio at Turin...
as the 19th king of the 13th Dynasty. However, the Nile level records and his appearance on a papyrus
Papyrus
Papyrus is a thick paper-like material produced from the pith of the papyrus plant, Cyperus papyrus, a wetland sedge that was once abundant in the Nile Delta of Egypt....
found at Lahun indicate that he might date to the early 13th Dynasty. In both monument types so far only kings of the late 12th and early 13th Dynasty are mentioned.
In the Turin King List appears as first king Khutawyre and it is therefore possible that the writer of the list confused Khutawyre with Sekhemre Khutawy
Sekhemre Khutawy
Sekhemre Khutawy was an Egyptian king of the 13th Dynasty.-Evidence:Sekhemre-Khutawy is named in the Nile Flood records at Semna near the second cataracts...
(compare: Wegaf
Wegaf
Khutawyre Wegaf was an Egyptian king of the 13th Dynasty who is known from several sources, including a stelae and statues. There is a general known from a scarab with the same name who is perhaps identical with this king....
).
Based on his name it has been suggested that Sobekhotep was a son of the last king of the 12th Dynasty
Twelfth dynasty of Egypt
The twelfth dynasty of ancient Egypt is often combined with Dynasties XI, XIII and XIV under the group title Middle Kingdom.-Rulers:Known rulers of the twelfth dynasty are as follows :...
, King Amenemhat IV
Amenemhat IV
Amenemhat IV, or Amenemhet IV was Pharaoh of Egypt, likely ruling between ca. 1815 BC and ca. 1806 BC. He served first as the junior coregent of Amenemhat III and completed the latter's temple at Medinet Maadi, which is "the only intact temple still existing from the Middle Kingdom" according to...
. Sobekhotep may have been a brother of Sonbef, another ruler of the 13th Dynasty
Thirteenth dynasty of Egypt
The thirteenth dynasty of ancient Egypt is often combined with Dynasties XI, XII and XIV under the group title Middle Kingdom. Other writers separate it from these dynasties and join it to Dynasties XIV through XVII as part of the Second Intermediate Period...
.
Further reading
- K.S.B. Ryholt, The Political Situation in Egypt during the Second Intermediate Period (Carsten Niebuhr Institute Publications, vol. 20. Copenhagen: Museum Tusculanum Press, 1997), 336, File 13/1.