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Thirteenth Dynasty of Egypt
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 the Canaanite 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.
Egyptologist Kim 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 of the 12th Dynasty as a possible father.[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.[page needed] 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.[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 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 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 and Hilton and Ryholt.
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.
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Thirteenth Dynasty of Egypt
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 the Canaanite 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.
Egyptologist Kim 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 of the 12th Dynasty as a possible father.[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.[page needed] 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.[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 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 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 and Hilton and Ryholt.
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.