| Sobekhotep I | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Head of a statue, thought to represent Sobekhotep I, although other attributions have been proposed | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pharaoh | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Reign | Year 4 (highest att.) 1803–1800 BC[1] 1724–1718 BC[2] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Predecessor | Uncertain,Sobekneferu orSedjefakare Kay Amenemhat VII | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Successor | Uncertain,Sekhemkare Sonbef orKhendjer | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Father | Uncertain, possiblyAmenemhat IV[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | after 1900 BC | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | before 1700 BC | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dynasty | 13th Dynasty | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sekhemre Khutaway Sobekhotep otherwise known asSobekhotep I was anEgyptianpharaoh of the early13th Dynasty in the lateMiddle Kingdom.
His chronological position is much debated. In literature, Sobekhotep I is known as Sekhemre Khutawy Sobekhotep and Amenemhat Sobekhotep.Kim Ryholt (1997) makes a strong case for Sobekhotep I as the founder of the dynasty, a hypothesis that is now dominant inEgyptology.[1][3] If so, he may be the first ruler with this name, making him Sobekhotep I. His double name may also be a filiation, Sobekhotep, son of Amenemhat.
We know almost nothing about his reign except what can be interpreted by archaeological finds. He ruled at a time of political turmoil during the early Thirteenth Dynasty, where the order of succession is unclear. At Lahun, a papyrus indicate that he ruled not long after Amenemhat III. The Nile Level Records were also inscribed for a limited number of rulers of the late 12th and early 13th dynasties. However, the Turin King List column 7 placed him in the middle of the list if read as a sequence of successors. Consequently, some scholars believe the scribe made a mistake where he should be put at the top of that list. His double name Sobekhotep Amenemhat may be a filiation meaning "Sobekhotep, son of Amenemhat" indicating he was a son of Amenemhat III or Amenemhat IV. Amenemhat III is only known to have had daughters. An antiyant husband (regent) or grandchild (by the first rank daughter) may have laid claim on the throne.
Sobekhotep I is attested by contemporary sources dating to the early 13th Dynasty.[4][5]
In Year 1, he is attested on a papyrus at Lahun in the middle part of Egypt. Later, he is mainly attested by architectural elements in the 4th Nome of Thebes. His highest attested date is Year 4 according to Nile Level Records in Nubia.
He is mentioned on theKahun Papyrus IV.[6][7] Written in hieratic text, it contains "a census of the household of alector-priest that is dated to the first regnal year" of the king.[8] The household includes a son of the lector-priest, and the papyrus records the birth of this son during a 40th regnal year of an unnamed king, "which can only refer toAmenemhat III."[5] This establishes that Sekhemre Khutawy Sobekhotep reigned close in time to Amenemhat III, with the son still part of the household of the lector-priest.
Three Nile level records fromSemna and Kumna inNubia are also attributable to Sekhemre Khutawy Sobekhotep, the latest of which is dated to year 4, showing that he reigned for at least three complete years.[1][9]
At Semna, a nile level record was made in Year 2 and Year 3.[10][11] At Kumma, a nile level record was made in Year 4.[11]
A number of architectural elements bearing Sobekhotep's titulary are known: a fragment of aHebsed chapel fromMedamud, three lintels fromDeir el-Bahri and Medamud, an architrave fromLuxor and a doorjamb from Medamud that is now in theLouvre.
AtDeir el-Bahri, Sekhemre Khutawy Sobekhotep added a relief to the Mortuarty Temple ofMentuhotep II.
Smaller artifacts mentioning Sobekhotep I comprise a cylinder seal[14] fromGebelein, anadze-blade,[15] a statuette from Kerma and afaience bead, now in the Petrie Museum (UC 13202).[1][4][16]
TheTurin King List 7:19 contains the entry: "The Dual King Sobekhotep I reigned x years ...".[17] In the list he is predeceded by 7:18Sedjefakare and succeeded by 7:20 byKhendjer. Some scholars believe the scribe made an error being interchanged with 7:01Khutawyre Wegaf.
The tomb of Sobekhotep I has not been found.
His tomb was believed to have been discovered inAbydos in 2013, but its attribution is now questioned.[18] During a 2013 excavation inAbydos, a team of archaeologists led byJosef W. Wegner of theUniversity of Pennsylvania discovered the tomb of a king with the nameSobekhotep. While Sobekhotep I was named as owner of the tomb on several press reports since January 2014,[19][20][21][22][23] further investigations made it more likely that the tomb belongs to kingSobekhotep IV instead.[18]
There is some dispute inEgyptology over the position of this king in the 13th Dynasty. The throne nameSekhemre Khutawyre appears in theTurin King List as the 19th king of the 13th Dynasty. However, the Nile level records and his appearance on apapyrus found atLahun indicate that he might date to the early 13th Dynasty. In both monument types only kings of the late 12th and early 13th Dynasty are mentioned.
In theTurin King List,Khutawyre appears as the first 13th Dynasty king. EgyptologistKim Ryholt maintains that it is possible that the writer of the list confusedSekhemre Khutawy withKhutawyre, the nomen ofWegaf.[1]
The identification of any mention ofSekhemre Khutawy is difficult, as at least three kings are known to have had this name: Sekhemre Khutawy Sobekhotep,Sekhemre Khutawy Pantjeny andSekhemre Khutawy Khabaw.
His double name Amenemhat Sobekhotep may be a filiation meaning "Sobekhotep, son of Amenemhat". It has been suggested that Sobekhotep was a son of the penultimate pharaoh of the12th Dynasty, kingAmenemhat IV. Therefore, Sobekhotep may have been a brother ofSekhemkare Sonbef, the second ruler of the 13th Dynasty.[24] Other Egyptologists read Amenemhat Sobekhotep as a double name, these being common in the Twelfth and Thirteenth Dynasty.[25]
| Preceded by | Pharaoh of Egypt Thirteenth Dynasty | Succeeded by |
