Sobekemsaf was an

ancient Egypt Ancient Egypt () was a cradle of civilization concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in Northeast Africa. It emerged from prehistoric Egypt around 3150BC (according to conventional Egyptian chronology), when Upper and Lower E ...

ian official of the late Thirteenth Dynasty or early Seventeenth Dynasty, in the Second Intermediate Period. He is especially well known from his statue in

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

Family

Sobekemsaf (sbk-m-sꜣ⸗f “

Sobek Sobek (), also known as Suchus (), was an ancient Egyptian deities, ancient Egyptian deity with a complex and elastic history and nature. He is associated with the Nile crocodile and is often represented as a crocodile-headed humanoid, if not a ...

is his protection”) came from an influential family. His father was the ''senior scribe of the

vizier A vizier (; ; ) is a high-ranking political advisor or Minister (government), minister in the Near East. The Abbasids, Abbasid caliphs gave the title ''wazir'' to a minister formerly called ''katib'' (secretary), who was at first merely a help ...

'' and later Chief of the Upper Tens, Dedusobek Bebi. His mother was a certain Lady of the House, Duanofert. His uncle Nebankh, the brother of his father was high steward under

Sobekhotep IV Khaneferre Sobekhotep IV was one of the more powerful Egyptian kings of the 13th Dynasty (c. 1803 BC to c. 1649 BC), who reigned at least eight years. His brothers, Neferhotep I and Sihathor, were his predecessors on the throne, the latter havi ...

in the late 13th Dynasty, and therefore one of the most influential officials at the royal court. The sister of Sobekemsaf was the queen Nubkhaes. She evidently managed to marry into the royal family, or her husband managed to become king. Albeit her royal husband is not yet identified for sure. His family is listed in Stela Louvre C 13. *Mother (mwt⸗s): nbt pr dwꜣt-nfrt. (Duat-Neferet) *Father (jtj⸗s): wr mḏw šmꜥw ddw-sbk/bbj (Dedusobek/Bebi) *Maternal Grandmother (mwt nt mwt⸗s): nbt pr ḥmw. *Paternal Uncle (sn n jtj⸗s): ḫtmw-bjtj; jmj-rꜣ pr-wr; šmsw (n) nsw nb-ꜥnḫ. (High Steward Nebankh) Siblings *Brother (sn⸗s): ḫtmw-bjtj; sš ꜥ n nsw n ḫft-ḥr nb-swmnw. (King's Scribe Nebsumenu) *Brother (sn⸗s): sꜣb; rꜣ-nḫn sbk-ḥtp. (King's Acquaintance Sobekhotep) *Brother (sn⸗s): ḫtmw-nṯr n ꜣbḏw nb-ꜥnḫ. (Sealbearer of the God of Abydos, Nebankh) *Brother (sn⸗s): sbk-m-ḥꜣt. *Sister (snt⸗s): nbt pr nbw-m-ḥb. *Sister (snt⸗s): nbt pr nbw-m-ꜣḫt. *Sister (snt⸗s): nbt pr nbt⸗j-m-nbw. *Sister (snt⸗s): nbt pr nfrw-sbk. *Sister (snt⸗s): nbt pr nb⸗j-pw. *Sister (snt⸗s): jrjt-pꜥt; ḥmt-nsw wrt; ẖnmt nfr ḥḏt nbw-ḫꜥ⸗s (Queen Nubkhaes)

Attestation

Sobekemsaf (PD 563) appears on several monuments. They include a stela now in the

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is a national art museum in Paris, France, and one of the most famous museums in the world. It is located on the Rive Droite, Right Bank of the Seine in the city's 1st arrondissement of Paris, 1st arron ...

in Paris (C13), a statue in Berlin (Inv. no. 2285), a stela in the

Egyptian Museum The Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, commonly known as the Egyptian Museum (, Egyptian Arabic: ) (also called the Cairo Museum), located in Cairo, Egypt, houses the largest collection of Ancient Egypt, Egyptian antiquities in the world. It hou ...

in Cairo (CG 20763) and the almost lifesize statue today in Vienna, in the

Kunsthistorisches Museum The Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien ( "Vienna Museum of art history, Art History", often referred to as the "Museum of Fine Arts, Vienna") is an art museum in Vienna, Austria. Housed in its festive palatial building on the Vienna Ring Road, i ...

(inv. no. 5801). The base of the statue is in Dublin

National Museum of Ireland The National Museum of Ireland () is Ireland's leading museum institution, with a strong emphasis on national and some international archaeology, Irish history, Irish art, culture, and natural history. It has three branches in Dublin, the arch ...

, Reg. No. 1889.503. On his monuments Sobekemsaf bears two titles. On the stelae in Cairo and Vienna as well as on the statue in Berlin he bears the title ''overseer of the granaries''. On the statue in Vienna he has the title ''Reporter'' ''of Thebes'' (wHmw n w3st), being evidently promoted in the between times.

Overseer of the Double Granary

Cairo CG 20763

A limestone stela fragment with various people. It it includes (no title) Sobekemsaf and his brother Sealbearer of the God of Abydos, Nebankh and two sisters.

Stela Louvre C 13

At Abydos, a limestone round-topped stela of Great King's Wife Nubkhaes. It mentions her family members, including her father Chief of the Tens of Upper Egypt, Dedusobek/Bebi, and her brother Overseer of the Double Granary, Sobekemsaf. Also mentioned is her uncle High Steward, Nebankh. Both her father and uncle had previously served under king

in the late 13th Dynasty, see Stela Wadi el-Hudi 25. Another brother is Sealbearer of the God of Abydos, Nebankh.

Berlin ÄM 2285

A granodiorite statue of man seated on the ground of Overseer of the Double Granary, Sobekemsaf. It mentions his father Chief of the Tens of Upper Egypt, Bebi (Dedusobek/Bebi).

Reporter of Thebes

Statue Wien ÄS 5051/5801

Armant Armant (; or ''jwn.w-šmꜥ.w''; Coptic_language#Bohairic, Bohairic: ; Coptic_language#Sahidic, Sahidic: ), also known as Hermonthis (), is a town located about south of Thebes, Egypt, Thebes. It was an important Middle Kingdom of Egypt, Middle ...

, a granodiorite statue of man standing of Reporter and Reporter of Waset (Thebes), Sobekemsaf. Son of Chief of the Tens of Upper Egypt, Dedusobek/Bebi and Lady of the House, Duat-Neferet. The Vienna statue is an important, high quality artwork. Its dating was for a long time under discussion. It was known that Sobekemsaf is the brother of a queen Nubkhaes. However, there is also a queen with the same name, known as the wife of the 17th Dynasty king

Sobekemsaf II Sekhemre Shedtawy Sobekemsaf II was an Egyptian king who reigned during the Second Intermediate Period, when Egypt was fragmented and ruled by multiple kings. Biography His throne name, Sekhemre Shedtawy, means "Powerful is Re; Rescuer of the T ...

. Therefore, it was an open question whether the statue and Sobekemsaf belong to the 13th or 17th Dynasty. However, today, there is a general agreement, that Sobekemsaf dates to the 13th Dynasty, shortly after Sobekhotep IV, as most of his family members are datable around this reign.Kim Ryholt: ''The Political Situation in Egypt during the Second Intermediate Period c.1800–1550 B.C, Museum Tuscalanum Press'', 1997. , 239-242

References

{{Commons category, Sobekemsaf (reporter) People of the Thirteenth Dynasty of Egypt Officials of the Thirteenth Dynasty of Egypt Ancient Egyptian overseers of the granaries Ancient Egyptian reporters