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Thirteenth Dynasty of Egypt

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13th Dynasty of Egypt
c. 1802 BC–c. 1649 BC
Portrait of king Amenemhat Sobekhotep I
Portrait of king Amenemhat Sobekhotep I
CapitalItjtawy (c. 1802 BC – c. 1677 BC)
Thebes (c. 1677 BC – c. 1649 BC)
Common languagesEgyptian
Religion
ancient Egyptian religion
GovernmentAbsolute monarchy
Monarch 
• c. 1802–c. 1800 BC (first)
Amenemhat Sobekhotep I
• c. 1649 BC (last)
Se[...]enre
Historical eraSecond Intermediate Period of Egypt
• Established
c. 1802 BC
• Disestablished
c. 1649 BC
Preceded by		 Succeeded by
12th Dynasty of Egypt
14th Dynasty of Egypt
15th Dynasty of Egypt
16th Dynasty of Egypt
Abydos Dynasty

The Thirteenth Dynasty of ancient Egypt (notated Dynasty XIII) was a series of rulers from around 1802 BC until around 1649 BC, around 153 years.[1] It is often classified as the final dynasty of the Middle Kingdom (which includes Dynasties 11, 12, and 14), but some historians instead group it in the Second Intermediate Period (with Dynasties 14 through 17).

The 13th Dynasty initially ruled from the Nile Delta to the second cataract of the Nile. However, the dynasty marked a period of decline and instability, with the Canaanite Dynasty 14 rising concurrently and the Hyksos Dynasty 15 taking control shortly after.

Amenemhat Sobekhotep I is usually considered the 13th Dynasty's first king, and Ay I, while not the final king, was the last to occupy the Middle Kingdom capital of Itjtawy, and the last of the dynasty with a significant recorded reign.

Chronology and rulers

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Egyptologist Kim Ryholt (1997:190) argues that the 13th Dynasty lasted from 1803-1649 BC, lasting around 154 years.[1]

According to Ryholt, the 13th Dynasty had some continuity with the preceding 12th Dynasty. With the first king, Sobekhotep I, being the son of a certain Amenemhat, Ryholt proposes Amenemhat IV of the 12th Dynasty as a possible father.[1][page needed] This is unlikely as Amenemhat IV was succeeded by his sister Sobekneferu and not directly by Sobekhotep I, suggesting that Amenemhat IV didn't have any children.[citation needed]

Ryholt also proposes that the demarcation between the two dynasties reflects the rise of the independent 14th Dynasty in the eastern Delta, an event which, he proposes, occurred during Sobekneferu's reign.[1][page needed] As direct heirs to the kings of the 12th Dynasty, kings of the 13th Dynasty reigned from Memphis over Middle and Upper Egypt, all the way to the second cataract to the south. The power of the 13th Dynasty waned progressively over its 153 years of existence and it finally came to an end with the conquest of Memphis by the Hyksos rulers of the 15th Dynasty, around 1649 BC.[1][page needed] According to Kim Ryholt, the 13th dynasty's power reached its height under three successive powerful ruling kings named Sobekhotep III, Neferhotep I, and Sobekhotep IV, but the administration's power appears to have collapsed many decades later after the reign of Ay I, who is the last 13th Dynasty king to be attested in both Lower and Upper Egypt.

In later texts, this dynasty is usually described as an era of chaos and disorder. However, the period may have been more peaceful than was once thought since the central government in Itjtawy near the Faiyum was sustained during most of the dynasty and the country remained relatively stable. The period was undoubtedly characterized by decline, with a large number of kings with short reigns and only a few historical attestations. The true chronology of this dynasty is difficult to determine as there are few monuments dating from the period. Many of the kings' names are only known from odd fragmentary inscriptions or from scarabs.[citation needed] The names and order in the table are based on three Egyptologists, Dodson, Hilton, and Ryholt.[1][2]

13th Dynasty Monarchs of Egypt
Portrait Name Reign Burial Consort(s) Lifespan Comments
Amenemhat Sobekhotep I c. 1802 - c. 1800 BC Died c. 1800 BC The dominant hypothesis is that Amenemhat Sobekhotep I was the founder of the dynasty,[3][4] in older studies Wegaf
Amenemhat Senebef c. 1800 - c. 1796 BC Died c. 1796 BC Perhaps a son of Amenemhat IV and brother of Sekhemre Khutawy Sobekhotep[3]
Nerikare c. 1796 BC Died c. 1796 BC
Amenemhat V c. 1796 - c. 1793 BC Died c. 1793 BC
Ameny Qemau c. 1793 - c. 1792 BC Pyramid of Ameny Qemau Died c. 1792 BC
Qemau Siharnedjheritef[5] c. 1792 - c. 1790 BC Died c. 1790 BC Perhaps identical with King Sehotepibre in the Turin Canon
Iufni c. 1790 - c. 1788 BC Died c. 1788 BC Known only from the Turin canon
Ameny Amenemhat VI c. 1788 - c. 1785 BC Died c. 1785 BC
Nebnuni c. 1785 - c. 1783 BC Died c. 1783 BC
Sehetepibre c. 1783 - c. 1781 BC Died c. 1781 BC
Sewadjkare I c. 1781 BC Died c. 1781 BC Known only from the Turin canon
Nedjemibre c. 1781 - c. 1780 BC Died c. 1780 BC Known only from the Turin canon
Sobekhotep II c. 1780 - c. 1777 BC Died c. 1777 BC
Renseneb c. 1777 BC Died c. 1777 BC
Hor c. 1777 - c. 1775 BC Dahshur Died c. 1775 BC
Sekhemrekhutawy c. 1775 - c. 1772 BC Died c. 1772 BC Possibly a son of Hor Awybre
Djedkheperew c. 1772 - c. 1770 BC Died c. 1770 BC Possibly a brother of Sekhemrekhutawy
Sebkay c. 1770 - c. 1769 BC Died c. 1769 BC Possibly two kings, Seb and his son Kay
Kay Amenemhat VII c. 1769 - c. 1767 BC Died c. 1767 BC
Wegaf c. 1767 BC Died c. 1767 BC
Khendjer c. 1767 - c. 1759 BC Pyramid of Khendjer[6] Seneb[henas?] Died c. 1759 BC May also have borne the name Nimaatre
Imyremeshaw c. 1759 - c. 1757 BC Died c. 1757 BC
Intef c. 1757 - c. 1755 BC Died c. 1755 BC
Seth Meribre c. 1755 BC Died c. 1755 BC
Sobekhotep III c. 1755 - c. 1751 BC Senebhenas[7]
Neni[7] 		Died c. 1751 BC
Neferhotep I c. 1751 - c. 1740 BC Senebsen[7] Died c. 1740 BC
Sihathor c. 1740 - c. 1739 BC Died c. 1739 BC Ephemeral coregent with his brother Neferhotep I
Sobekhotep IV c. 1739 - c. 1730 BC Tjan[7] Died c. 1730 BC Brother of Neferhotep I and Sihathor
Sobekhotep V c. 1730 - c. 1727 BC Died c. 1727 BC
Sobekhotep VI c. 1720 BC Died c. 1720 BC
Ibiau c. 1713 BC Died c. 1713 BC
Ay I c. 1690 BC Built a pyramid whose location is unknown, maybe near Memphis[8] Died c. 1690 BC Reigned around 23 years, the longest reign of the dynasty. Last king to be attested in both Lower and Upper Egypt.

Following these kings, the remaining rulers of the 13th Dynasty are only attested by finds from Upper Egypt. This may indicate the abandonment of the old capital Itjtawy in favor of Thebes.[9] Daphna Ben Tor believes that this event was triggered by the invasion of the eastern Delta and the Memphite region by Canaanite rulers. For some authors, this marks the end of the Middle Kingdom and the beginning of the Second Intermediate Period.[9] This analysis is rejected by Ryholt and Baker however, who note that the stele of Seheqenre Sankhptahi, reigning toward the end of the dynasty, strongly suggests that he reigned over Memphis. The stele is of unknown provenance.[3][4]

13th Dynasty Monarchs of Egypt continued
Portrait Name Reign Lifespan Comments
Ini c. 1677 - c. 1675 BC Died c. 1675 BC Also known as Ini I
Sewadjtu c. 1675 - c. 1672 BC Died c. 1672 BC
Hori c. 1669 - c. 1664 BC Died c. 1664 BC Also known as Hori II
Sobekhotep VII c. 1664 - c. 1663 BC Died c. 1663 BC
Unknown
Unknown
Unknown
Unknown
Unknown
Unknown
Unknown
Unknown
Merkheperre c. 1656 BC Died c. 1656 BC
Merkare c. 1656 BC Died c. 1656 BC Known only from the Turin canon
Unknown
Unknown
Unknown
[...]mosre
Ibi [...]maatre
Hor [...] [...]webenre
Sekhemkare II c. 1653 BC Died c. 1653 BC Name reconstructed as Sekhemkare based on a hypothesis by Darrell Baker filling the lacunae in the Turin King List and the Seheqenre Sankhptahi stele[10]
[...]re
Se[...]enre c. 1649 BC Died c. 1649 BC Possibly the Turin canon’s preservation of the prenomen Sewahenre

The chronological position of a number of attested rulers could not be conclusively determined due to a lack of evidence:

13th Dynasty Monarchs of Egypt, undetermined position
Portrait Name Comments
Neferhotep II Possibly the same as Mersekhemre Ined
Ini II According to von Beckerath, successor of Sewadjare Mentuhotep V and predecessor of Merkheperre
Senebmiu According to von Beckerath, successor of Se[...]kare
Mentuhotep V
Sankhptahi Represented on a stele offering to Ptah
Dedumose I
Dedumose II Possibly a vassal of the Hyksos
Montemsaf
Senusret IV Possibly ruled in the 17th dynasty
Nebmaatre Possibly ruled in the 17th dynasty
Sobekhotep IX

Sobekhotep I and II

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Ryholt posits a ruler named "Sobkhotep I Sekhemre Khutawy" as the first king of this dynasty. This is now the dominant hypothesis in Egyptology[4] and Sobekhotep Sekhemre Khutawy is referred to as Sobekhotep I in this article. Ryholt thus credits Sekhemre Khutawy Sobkhotep I with a reign of 3 to 4 years around 1800 BC and proposes that Khaankhre Sobekhotep II reigned around 1780 BC.[3] Dodson and Hilton similarly believe that Sekhemre Khutawy Sobekhotep predated Khaankhre Sobekhotep.[11]

Successors

[edit]
Statue of the royal sealer and high steward Gebu, 13th dynasty, around 1700 BC from the temple of Amun in Karnak

After allowing discipline at the southern forts to deteriorate, the government eventually withdrew its garrisons and, not long afterward, the forts were reoccupied by the rising Nubian state of Kush. In the north, Lower Egypt was overrun by the Hyksos, a Semitic people from across the Sinai. An independent line of kings created Dynasty XIV that arose in the western Delta during later Dynasty XIII. According to Manetho, into this unstable mix came invaders from the east called the Hyksos who seized Egypt "without striking a blow; and having overpowered the rulers of the land, they then burned our cities ruthlessly, razed to the ground the temples of gods..." Their regime, called Dynasty 15, was claimed to have replaced Dynasties 13 and 14 in most of the country.

However, recent archaeological finds at Edfu could indicate that the Hyksos 15th dynasty was already in existence at least by the mid-13th dynasty reign of king Sobekhotep IV. In a recently published paper in Egypt and the Levant,[12] Nadine Moeller, Gregory Marouard and N. Ayers discuss the discovery of an important early 12th dynasty Middle Kingdom administrative building in the eastern Tell Edfu area of Upper Egypt which was in continual use into the early Second Intermediate Period until the 17th dynasty, when its remains were sealed up by a large silo court. Fieldwork by Egyptologists in 2010 and 2011 into the remains of the former 12th dynasty building which was also used in the 13th dynasty led to the discovery of a large adjoining hall which proved to contain 41 sealings showing the cartouche of the Hyksos ruler Khyan together with 9 sealings naming the 13th dynasty king Sobekhotep IV.[13] The preserved contexts of these seals shows that Sobekhotep IV and Khyan were most likely contemporaries of one another. This could mean that the 13th dynasty did not control all of Egypt when Sobekhotep IV acceded to power, and that there was a significant overlap between the 13th and 15th dynasties since Sobekhotep IV was only a mid-13th dynasty ruler; although one of its most powerful kings. Therefore, Manetho's statement that the Hyksos 15th dynasty violently replaced the 13th dynasty could be a piece of later Egyptian propaganda. Rather, the 13th dynasty's authority must have been collapsing throughout Egypt in its final decades and the Hyksos state in the Delta region simply took over Memphis and ended the 13th dynasty's kingdom. However, this analysis and the conclusions drawn from it are rejected by Egyptologist Robert Porter, who argues that Khyan ruled much later than Sobekhotep IV (a gap of around 100 years exists between the two in conventional chronologies) and that the seals of a pharaoh were used long after his death. Thus the seals of Sobekhotep IV might not indicate that he was a contemporary of Khyan.[14]

Ay I was the last Egyptian ruler of the 13th Dynasty who is attested by objects in both Lower and Upper Egypt.[15] Henceforth, his successors, from Ini on, are only attested in Upper Egypt.[16]

Comparison of regnal lists

[edit]

This dynasty is not as well-documented in surviving king lists compared to the preceding Twelfth Dynasty. The Abydos King List and Saqqara Tablet both completely ignore this dynasty. The Turin King List has the most complete surviving list of names but is in a very fragmentary condition and many names and reign lengths are now lost. The Turin King List originally had 53 names for this dynasty. Manetho's now-lost work Aegyptiaca stated that this dynasty was made up of 60 kings who ruled for 453 years.[17] However, no names survive in any of the quotations or epitomes of Aegyptiaca. The Karnak King List does include some names for kings of this dynasty but the names are not placed in regnal order, and many names are missing from this list.

Historical Pharaoh Karnak King List Turin King List[18][19] Turin List Reign Length[18][19]
Sobekhotep I Sekhemre Khutawy Khutawyre 2 years, 3 months and 24 days
Sonbef [Sekhemkare] "lacuna" years - missing in the original document.
Nerikare? – 6 years - listed with Sonbef after the "lacuna" notation, but possibly refers to Nerikare who is otherwise not named in the list.
Amenemhat V Amenemhat(re) 3 years
Hotepibre Sehotepibre Lost
Iufni Iufni Lost
Amenemhat VI Sankhibre Sankhibre [Unknown] and 23 [days]
Semenkare Nebnuni Semenkare [Unknown] and 22 [days]
Sehetepibre Sehotepibre 1+ months and 27 days
Sewadjkare Sewadjkare [Unknown] and 21+ days
Nedjemibre Nedjemibre 0 years and 7 months
Sobekhotep II Khaankhre Sobek[hot]ep Lost
Renseneb Ren[se]neb 4 months
Hor Awtibre [Unknown] and 7 days
Sedjefakare Kay Amenemhat VII Sedjefa[..]kare Lost
Wegaf Khutawire Sekhemre Khutawy Sobekhotep Lost
Khendjer User[ka]re Khendjer Lost
Imyremeshaw [Smenkh]kare Imyremeshaw [Unknown] and 4 days
Sehetepkare Intef Intef [Sehotep]ka[re] Intef [Unknown] and 3 days
Seth Meribre [Mer]ib[re] Seth [Unknown] and 6 days
Sobekhotep III Sekhemkare [Wadjtawy] Sobekhotep 4 years, 2 months and [Unknown] days
Neferhotep I Khasekhemre Khasekhemre Neferhotep, "son of Haankhef" 11 years, 1 month and [Unknown] days
Sihathor Sihathor [Unknown] and 3 days
Sobekhotep IV Khaneferre Khaneferre Sobekhotep Lost
Sobekhotep V Merhotepre Name lost Lost
Sobekhotep VI Khahotepre Khahotepre 4 years, 8 months and 29 days
Wahibre Ibiau Wahibre Iaib 10 years, 8 months and 28 days
Merneferre Ay Merneferre 23 years, 8 months and 10 days
Merhotepre Ini Merhotepre 2 years, [2 to 4] months and 9 days
Sankhenre Sewadjtu Sankhenre Sewadjtu 3 years and [2 to 4] months
Mersekhemre Ined Mersekhemre Mersekhemre Ined 3 years, 1 month and 1 [day]
Sewadjkare Hori Sewadjkare Hori 5 years, [...] and 8 days
Sobekhotep VII Merkaure Merkau[re] Sobek[hotep] 2 years, [...] and 4 days
– Name lost [Unknown] and 11 days
– Name lost Lost
– Name lost Lost
– Name lost Lost
– Name lost Lost
– Name lost Lost
– Name lost Lost
– [Me]r ...[re]... Lost
Merkheperre Mer-kheper-Re Lost
Merkare Merka[re] Lost
– Name lost Lost
– Name lost Lost
Sewadjare Mentuhotep? Sewadj..re [...]dj[...] Lost
– [...]mes[...] Lost
– [...]maatre Ibi [...] Lost
– [...]webenre Hor [...] Lost
Sekhemkare II Se[...]kare [...] Lost
Seheqenre Sankhptahi? [...]qaenre [...] Lost
– [...]re [...] Lost
Sewahenre? [...]enre [...] n ia [...] Lost

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Kim S. B. Ryholt, The Political Situation in Egypt during the Second Intermediate Period, c. 1800–1550 B.C., Museum Tusculanum Press 1997
  2. ^ Aidan Dodson, Dyan Hilton: The Complete Royal Families of Ancient Egypt. The American University in Cairo Press, London 2004. pp. 100–101
  3. ^ a b c d K.S.B. Ryholt. The Political Situation in Egypt during the Second Intermediate Period c. 1800–1550 B.C. Carsten Niebuhr Institute Publications 20. Copenhagen
  4. ^ a b c Darrell D. Baker: The Encyclopedia of the Pharaohs: Volume I - Predynastic to the Twentieth Dynasty 3300–1069 BC, Stacey International, ISBN 978-1-905299-37-9, 2008
  5. ^ K. S. B. Ryholt, Hotepibre, a Supposed Asiatic King in Egypt with Relations to Ebla, Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research, No. 311 (Aug., 1998), pp. 1–6
  6. ^ Verner, Miroslav. The Pyramids: The Mystery, Culture, and Science of Egypt's Great Monuments. Grove Press. 2001 (1997). ISBN 0-8021-3935-3
  7. ^ a b c d Grajetzki, Ancient Egyptian Queens: A Hieroglyphic Dictionary, Golden House Publications, London, 2005, ISBN 978-0954721893
  8. ^ Labib Habachi: Khata'na-Qantir: Importance, ASAE 52 (1954) pp. 471–479, pl.16–17
  9. ^ a b Daphna Ben Tor: Sequences and chronology of Second Intermediate Period royal-name scarabs, based on excavated series from Egypt and the Levant, in: The Second Intermediate Period (Thirteenth-Seventeenth Dynasties), Current Research, Future Prospects edited by Marcel Maree, Orientalia Lovaniensia Analecta, 192, 2010, p. 91
  10. ^ Baker, Darrell D. (2008). The Encyclopedia of the Egyptian Pharaohs. Volume I: Predynastic Through Twentieth Dynasty (3300–1069 BC). Bannerstone Press.
  11. ^ Dodson, Hilton, The Complete Royal Families of Ancient Egypt, 2004
  12. ^ Nadine Moeller, Gregory Marouard & N. Ayers, Discussion of Late Middle Kingdom and Early Second Intermediate Period History and Chronology in Relation to the Khayan Sealings from Tell Edfu, in: Egypt and the Levant 21 (2011), pp. 87–121 online PDF
  13. ^ Moeller, Marouard & Ayers, Egypt and the Levant 21, (2011), pp. 87–108
  14. ^ Robert M. Porter: The Second Intermediate Period according to Edfu, Goettinger Mizsellen 239 (2013), p. 75–80
  15. ^ Thomas Schneider, "The Chronology of the Middle Kingdom and the Hyksos Period", in: E. Hornung/R. Krauss/D. Warburton (eds.), Ancient Egyptian Chronology (Handbook of Oriental Studies 1, 83), Leiden/ Boston 2006, p.180
  16. ^ Schneider, p.180
  17. ^ Lundström, Peter. "The Dynasties of Manetho". Pharaoh.se. Retrieved 2025-09-11.
  18. ^ a b Lundström, Peter. "Turin King List: column 7". Pharaoh.se. Retrieved 2025-09-11.
  19. ^ a b Lundström, Peter. "Turin King List: column 8". Pharaoh.se. Retrieved 2025-09-11.
  • Clayton, Peter A. Chronicle of the Pharaohs: The Reign-by-Reign Record of the Rulers and Dynasties of Ancient Egypt. London: Thames & Hudson Ltd., 2006. ISBN 0500286280.
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