# Thirteenth Dynasty of Egypt

Periods and dynasties of ancient Egypt :
All years are BC :
Predynastic Protodynastic 0 c. 3300–3150 :
Early Dynastic First Dynasty I c. 3150–2890 Second Dynasty II 2890–2686 :
Old Kingdom Third Dynasty III 2686–2613 Fourth Dynasty IV 2613–2498 Fifth Dynasty V 2498–2345 Sixth Dynasty VI 2345–2181 :
First Intermediate Seventh Dynasty VII spurious Eighth Dynasty VIII 2181–2160 Ninth Dynasty IX 2160–2130 Tenth Dynasty X 2130–2040 Early Eleventh Dynasty XI 2134–2061 :
Middle Kingdom Late Eleventh Dynasty XI 2061–1991 Twelfth Dynasty XII 1991–1803 Thirteenth Dynasty XIII 1803–1649 :
Second Intermediate Fourteenth Dynasty XIV 1705–1690 Fifteenth Dynasty (Hyksos) XV 1674–1535 Sixteenth Dynasty XVI 1660–1600 Abydos Dynasty 1650–1600 Seventeenth Dynasty XVII 1580–1549 :
New Kingdom Eighteenth Dynasty XVIII 1549–1292 Nineteenth Dynasty XIX 1292–1189 Twentieth Dynasty XX 1189–1077 :
Third Intermediate Twenty-first Dynasty XXI 1069–945 Twenty-second Dynasty XXII 945–720 Twenty-third Dynasty XXIII 837–728 Twenty-fourth Dynasty XXIV 732–720 Twenty-fifth Dynasty (Nubian) XXV 732–653 :
Late Period Twenty-sixth Dynasty XXVI 672–525 Twenty-seventh Dynasty (1st Persian Period) XXVII 525–404 Twenty-eighth Dynasty XXVIII 404–398 Twenty-ninth Dynasty XXIX 398–380 Thirtieth Dynasty XXX 380–343 Thirty-first Dynasty (2nd Persian Period) XXXI 343–332 :
Hellenistic Egypt Thirty-second Dynasty XXXII 332–305 Thirty-third Dynasty XXXIII 305–30 :
Roman Egypt Thirty-fourth Dynasty (Roman Pharaohs) XXXIV 30 BC – 313 AD :
Byzantine Egypt Thirty-fifth Dynasty (speculated) XXXV 379 AD – 641 AD :
See also: List of pharaohs by period and dynasty Periodization of ancient Egypt :
vte :
The Thirteenth Dynasty of ancient Egypt (notated Dynasty XIII) was a series of rulers from approximately 1803 BC until approximately 1649 BC, i.e. for 154 years. It is often classified as the final dynasty of the Middle Kingdom (which includes Dynasties XI, XII and XIV), but some historians instead group it in the Second Intermediate Period (with Dynasties XIV through XVII).
Dynasty XIII initially ruled from the Nile Delta to the second cataract of the Nile. However, the dynasty marked a period of decline and instability, with Dynasty XIV rising concurrently and the Hyksos Dynasty XV taking control shortly after.
Sekhemre Khutawy Sobekhotep is usually considered Dynasty XIII's first pharaoh, and Merneferre Ay, while not the final pharaoh, 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

Ryholt (1997:190) argues that the 13th Dynasty lasted from 1803-1649 BC, lasting some 154 years.
According to Ryholt, the 13th Dynasty had some continuity with the preceding 12th Dynasty. With the first pharaoh, Sobekhotep I, being the son of a certain Amenemhat, Ryholt proposes Amenemhat IV as a possible father. 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.
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. As direct heirs to the kings of the 12th Dynasty, pharaohs 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 150 years of existence and it finally came to an end with the conquest of Memphis by the Hyksos rulers of the 15th Dynasty, c. 1650 BC. 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 Merneferre Ay--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 Itj-tawy 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 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. The names and order in the table are based on Dodson and Hilton and Ryholt.
Dynasty XIII pharaohs :
| Name of pharaoh | Dates | Burial | Consort(s) | Comments |
| Sekhemre Khutawy Sobekhotep I | 1803–1800 BC | | | The dominant hypothesis is that Sekhemre Khutawy Sobekhotep was the founder of the dynasty, in older studies Wegaf |
| Sonbef | 1800–1796 BC | | | Perhaps a son of Amenemhat IV and brother of Sekhemre Khutawy Sobekhotep. |
| Nerikare | 1796 BC | | | |
| Sekhemkare Amenemhat V | 1796–1793 BC | | | |
| Ameny Qemau | 1795–1792 BC | Pyramid of Ameny Qemau | | |
| Hotepibre Qemau Siharnedjheritef | 1792–1790 BC | | | Perhaps identical with King Sehotepibre in the Turin Canon |
| Iufni | 1790–1788 BC | | | Known only from the Turin canon |
| Seankhibre Ameny-Intef-Amenemhat VI | 1788–1785 BC | | | |
| Semenkare Nebnuni | 1785–1783 BC or 1739 BC | | | |
| Sehetepibre Sewesekhtawy | 1783–1781 BC | | | |
| Sewadjkare I | 1781 BCE | | | Known only from the Turin canon |
| Nedjemibre | 7 months, 1780 BC or 1736 BC | | | Known only from the Turin canon |
| Khaankhre Sobekhotep II | 1780–1777 BC | | | |
| Renseneb Amenemhat | 1777 BC | | | |
| Awybre Hor | 1777–1775 BC | Buried in Dahshur near the pyramid of Amenemhet III | Nubhetepti (?) | |
| Sekhemrekhutawy Khabaw | 1775–1772 BC | | | Possibly a son of Hor Awybre. |
| Djedkheperew | 1772–1770 BC | | | Possibly a brother of Sekhemrekhutawy Khabaw. |
| Sebkay | | | | Possibly two kings, Seb and his son Kay |
| Sedjefakare Kay-Amenemhat VII | 5 to 7 years or 3 years, 1769–1766 BC | | | |
| Khutawyre Wegaf | Around 1767 BC | | | |
| Userkare Khendjer | Minimum 4 years and 3 months c. 1765 BC | Pyramid of Khendjer, South Saqqara | Seneb[henas?] | May also have borne the name Nimaatre. |
| Smenkhkare Imyremeshaw | Reigned less than 10 years, starting 1759 BC or 1711 BC. | | Aya (Iy)? | |
| Sehetepkare Intef | Less than 10 years | | Aya (Iy)? | |
| Seth Meribre | Reign ended 1749 BCE | | | |
| Sekhemresewadjtawy Sobekhotep III | 1755–1751 BC | | Senebhenas Neni | |
| Khasekhemre Neferhotep I | 1751–1740 BC | Perhaps buried at Abydos: S 9 | Senebsen | |
| Menwadjre Sihathor | 1739 BC | | | Ephemeral coregent with his brother Neferhotep I |
| Khaneferre Sobekhotep IV | 1740–1730 BC | Perhaps buried at Abydos: S 10 | Tjan | Brother of Neferhotep I and Sihathor |
| Merhotepre Sobekhotep V | c. 1730 BC | | Nubkhaes ? | |
| Khahotepre Sobekhotep VI | Around 1725 BC | | | |
| Wahibre Ibiau | 1725–1714 BC or 1712–1701 BC | | | |
| Merneferre Ay | 23 years, 8 months and 18 days, 1701–1677 BC or 1714–1691 BC | Built a pyramid whose location is unknown, maybe near Memphis. | Inni ? | Reigned 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. 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. 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.
Dynasty XIII pharaohs continued :
| Pharaoh | Comments |
| Merhotepre Ini | Also known as Ini I |
| Sankhenre Sewadjtu | |
| Mersekhemre Ined | Possibly the same as Neferhotep II |
| Sewadjkare Hori | Also known as Hori II |
| Merkawre Sobekhotep VII | |
| Eight kings, names lost | |
| Merkheperre | |
| Merkare | Known only from the Turin canon |
| One lost king | |
| Sewadjare Mentuhotep V | |
| [...]mosre | |
| Ibi [...]maatre | |
| Hor [...] [...]webenre | |
| Se[...]kare | |
| Seheqenre Sankhptahi | Represented on a stele offering to Ptah |
| [...]re | |
| Se[...]enre | 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:
Dynasty XIII pharaohs, undetermined position :
| Pharaoh | Comments |
| Mershepsesre Ini II | According to von Beckerath, successor of Sewadjare Mentuhotep V and predecessor of Merkheperre |
| Mersekhemre Neferhotep II | Possibly the same as Mersekhemre Ined |
| Sewahenre Senebmiu | According to von Beckerath, successor of Se[...]kare |
| Sekhanenre ...re | |
| Sobekhotep IX | |

### Sobekhotep I and II

Ryholt posits a ruler named "Sobkhotep I Sekhemre Khutawy" as the first king of this dynasty. This is now the dominant hypothesis in Egyptology 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 c. 1800 BC and proposes that Khaankhre Sobekhotep II reigned c. 20 years later in 1780 BC. Dodson and Hilton similarly believe that Sekhemre Khutawy Sobekhotep predated Khaankhre Sobekhotep.

### Successors

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 XV, was claimed to have replaced Dynasties XIII and XIV 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, 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. 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 c. 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.
Merneferre Ay was the last Egyptian ruler of the 13th Dynasty who is attested by objects in both Lower and Upper Egypt. Henceforth, his successors, from Merhotepre Ini on, are only attested in Upper Egypt.