EGYPTIAN CULTURE AND SOCIETY

EGYPTIAN CULTURE AND SOCIETY

STUDIES IN HONOUR OF NAGUIB KANAWATI
SUPPLMENT AUX ANNALES DU SERVICE
DES ANTIQUITS DE L'GYPTE
CAHIER N
O
38
VOLUME II
Preface by
ZAHI HAWASS
Edited by
ALEXANDRA WOODS
ANN MCFARLANE
SUSANNE BINDER
PUBLICATIONS DU CONSEIL SUPRME DES
ANTIQUITS DE L'GYPTE
Graphic Designer:
Anna-Latifa Mourad.
Director of Printing:
Amal Safwat.
Front Cover: Tomb of Remni.
Opposite: Saqqara season, 2005.
Photos: Effy Alexakis.
(CASAE 38) 2010
Conseil Suprme des Antiquits de l'gypte
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
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Dar al Kuttub Registration No. 2874/2010
ISBN: 978-977-479-845-6
IMPRIMERIE DU CONSEIL SUPRME DES ANTIQUITS
The abbreviations employed in this work follow those in B.
Mathieu, Abrviations des priodiques et collections en usage
l'IFAO (4
th
ed., Cairo, 2003) and G. Mller, H. Balz and G. Krause
(eds), Theologische Realenzyklopdie, vol 26: S. M. Schwertner,
Abkrzungsverzeichnis (2
nd
ed., Berlin - New York, 1994).
ix
CONTENTS
VOLUME I
PREFACE
ZAHI HAWASS xiii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS xv
NAGUIB KANAWATI: A LIFE IN EGYPTOLOGY xvii
ANN MCFARLANE
NAGUIB KANAWATI: A BIBLIOGRAPHY xxvii
1
15
31
87
97
105
119
131
159
165
SUSANNE BINDER, The Title 'Scribe of the Offering Table': Some Observations
GILLIAN BOWEN, The Spread of Christianity in Egypt: Archaeological Evidence
from Dakhleh and Kharga Oases
EDWARD BROVARSKI, The Hare and Oryx Nomes in the First Intermediate
Period and Early Middle Kingdom
VIVIENNE G. CALLENDER, Writings of the Word Hathor from Akhmim
MALCOLM CHOAT, Athanasius, Pachomius, and the 'Letter on Charity and
Temperance'
ROSALIE DAVID, Cardiovascular Disease and Diet in Ancient Egypt
LINDA EVANS, Otter or Mongoose? Chewing over the Evidence in Wall Scenes
ROBYN GILLAM, From Meir to Quseir el-Amarna and Back Again: The Cusite
Nome in SAT and on the Ground
SAID G. GOHARY, The Cult-Chapel of the Fortress Commander Huynefer at
Saqqara
MICHELLE HAMPSON, 'Experimenting with the New': Innovative Figure Types
and Minor Features in Old Kingdom Workshop Scenes
x
ZAHI HAWASS, The Anubieion
TOM HILLARD, The God Abandons Antony: Alexandrian Street Theatre in 30BC
COLIN A. HOPE AND OLAF E. KAPER, A Governor of Dakhleh Oasis in the
Early Middle Kingdom
JANA JONES, Some Observations on the Dimensions of Textiles in the Old
Kingdom Linen Lists
EDWIN A. JUDGE, The Puzzle of Christian Presence in Egypt before
Constantine
LESLEY J. KINNEY, Defning the Position of Dancers within Performance
Institutions in the Old Kingdom
AUDRAN LABROUSSE, Huit pouses du roi Ppy I
er
VOLUME II
MIRAL LASHIEN, The Transportation of Funerary Furniture in Old Kingdom
Tomb Scenes
LISE MANNICHE, The Cultic Signifcance of the Sistrum in the Amarna
Period
KIM MCCORQUODALE, 'Hand in Hand': Reliefs in the Chapel of Mereruka
and other Old Kingdom Tombs
ROBERT S. MERRILLEES, Two Unusual Late Cypriote Bronze Age Juglets from
Egypt in Western Australia and Tatarstan
JUAN CARLOS MORENO GARCA, La gestion des aires marginales: pHw, gs, Tnw, sxt
au III
e
millnaire
KAROL MYLIWIEC, The Mysterious Mereris, Sons of Ny-ankh-nefertem
(Sixth Dynasty, Saqqara)
ALANNA NOBBS, Phileas, Bishop of Thmouis
181
201
219
247
263
279
297
1
13
27
35
49
71
93
xi
BOYO G. OCKINGA, The Memphite Theology - Its Purpose and Date
MAARTEN J. RAVEN, A New Statue of an Old Kingdom Vizier from Saqqara
GAY ROBINS, Space and Movement in Pre-Amarna Eighteenth Dynasty
Theban Tomb Chapels
ASHRAF-ALEXANDRE SADEK, Trois pices de la Collection gyptienne du
Muse des Beaux-Arts de Limoges
RAMADAN EL-SAYED, propos de sept scarabes au Muse du Caire
MICHAEL SCHULTZ, The Biography of the Wife of Kahai: A Biological
Reconstruction
SAMEH SHAFIK, Disloyalty and Punishment: The Case of Ishfu at Saqqara
BASIM SAMIR EL-SHARKAWY, Sobek at Memphis, Once Again:
Further Documents
KENNETH A. SHEEDY, Scenes from Alexandria in the Time of Domitian
KARIN N. SOWADA, Forgotten Cemetery F at Abydos and Burial Practices of the
Late Old Kingdom
JOYCE SWINTON, De-Coding Old Kingdom Wall Scenes: Force-Feeding the Hyena
ELIZABETH THOMPSON, Scenes of the Tomb Owner Journeying-by-Water: The
Motif in Tombs of the Old Kingdom Cemetery of El-Hawawish
MIROSLAV VERNER, MIROSLAV BRTA AND ZDENKA Svov, The Second Renaissance
of Abusir
SOPHIE WINLAW, The Chapel Types Utilised in the Teti Cemetery at Saqqara
ALEXANDRA WOODS, A Date for the Tomb of Seneb at Giza: Revisited
99
119
129
143
151
163
181
191
205
219
233
247
267
281
301
191
SOBEK AT MEMPHIS, ONCE AGAIN:
FURTHER DOCUMENTS
Basem Samir El-Sharkawy
Supreme Council of Antiquities
The present paper continues a series started in 2002,
1
2003
2
and 2007
3
regarding the
cult, temple and priesthood of the crocodile deity Sobek in the Memphite region during
several periods of Egyptian history.
There are fourteen documents currently known that provide evidence for the cult,
temple and priesthood of the deity Sobek in the Memphite region throughout
several periods of Pharaonic history. There are two documents from the Archaic
Period and the Old Kingdom, four from the Middle Kingdom, six from the New
Kingdom, and two documents from the Ptolemaic period. The aim of a recent study
has been to collect all the currently known references and documents referring to
Sobek in the Memphite region to shed new light on the significance of the deity
over several periods of Egyptian history.
W. M. F. Petrie was the first scholar to mention the possible existence of Sobek at
Memphis when he wrote in the first part of his excavations at Memphis that: 'There
is also an illusion to Sebek, as the "Wall of Sebek" is named in Harris Papyrus
[1]'.
4
Petrie did not provide the exact reference and can now be presented as
Papyrus Harris I
5
(p.BM 9999), 47, 1; 48, 9-10; 49, 6-7 ( , and
). S. Hassan also commented in his translation of Papyrus Harris, which was
apparently composed during the reigns of the kings Ramesses III and Ramesses
IV,
6
that Inb-%bk refers to the existence of the god Sobek at Memphis in the Ptah
Temple (Hwt kA PtH).
7

The documents referring to Sobek in the Memphite region will be presented below
in chronological order:
A. Old Kingdom
Document 1: An Archaic Vessel (JE. 88397)
H. Kees
8
suggested that the cult of Sobek first appeared in Memphis during the
Archaic Period. However, I have proposed in a previous study that the first
attestation of Sobek at Memphis
9
appeared in a private name @m-%bk (i.e. 'the
servant of Sobek'), the Companion. The name is found on a diorite (?) vessel and
BASEM SAMIR EL-SHARKAWY
192
was discovered near the Step Pyramid of Neterikhet at Saqqara, and can be dated to
the early dynastic period (from the First to the Third Dynasties).
10

Document 2: Unas' Pyramid Texts (Figure 1)
According to Unas' Pyramid Text no. 565, Sobek appears to have been worshipped
in the capital of Memphis during the Old Kingdom
11
where the crocodile was the
sacred animal of this god.
12
W. Budge considered this text (Unas Pyr. 565) as a
reference to Sobek's worshipped in the early Archaic Period.
13
Several utterances
mention Sobek, such as Utterance 301 (Unas Pyr. 565 = PT 456a) 'Stay, great raft,
as Upuaut, fuel of your spiritual power (mHtj m jax.k), coming out of the Horizon
after having taken the wrr.t-(white) crown in the great and mighty fountain-heads
in the South of Libya (xn.tjw THnw) as Sobek, lord of the Mountain of the Morning
(bA-jrw)');
14
Utterance 308 (Unas Pyr. 600 = PT 489c) 'Unas saw you as Sobek saw
Neith');
15
Utterance 317 (Unas Pyr. 621 = PT 507) 'Unas is Sobek with a green
feather, with a watchful face, with an uplifted brow, ';
16
and (Unas Pyr. 627 = PT
510) 'Unas arises as Sobek, the son of Neith'.
17

B. Middle Kingdom
There is evidence for the cult of Sobek at several sites during the Middle
Kingdom,
18
however Memphis was still considered to be an important cult centre
for the deity even though it was no longer Egypt's capital.
19
Four documents are
known from the Twelfth Dynasty mentioning the god Sobek in the Memphite
region. The first two date to the reign of Amenemhat II (1932-1896 BC), the third is
from the reign of Senwosert III (1881-1840 BC) and the fourth document does not
have an exact date at present.
Document 3: Granite Block of the vizier Ameny from the Ptah Temple, Kom el-
Fakhry (Figure 2)
Sobek is mentioned twice on a granite block of the 'overseer of the city and vizier'
Ameny, who brought endowments of offerings to king Amenemhat I and also the
pyramid-temple (Xnm-cwt) of Senwosert I. In 1908/1909 AD, the granite block was
laid in front of the west pylon of the Ptah temple at Kom el-Fakhry in Mit-Rahina
(Memphis). The first mention is in column (1) and states: 'Sobek, lord of [.]',
while the second in the column (6) says: 'beloved of Sobek, lord

of r[A]-[A]w []'.
20

The locality listed may be the Tura quarries, an eastern section of the city of
Memphis.
21

Document 4: Granite Stela of king Amenemhat II from the Ptah Temple, Kom el-
Fakhry (Figure 3)
If the identification of r[A]-[A]w in the previous example is accepted as being the
Tura quarries, the same epithet (Cbk nb rA-Aw 'Sobek, lord of Tura')
22
is listed twice
in column (X+29) on the rose granite stela of king Amenemhat II in the Ptah
temple built by Ramesses II at Kom el-Fakhry.
23

SOBEK AT MEMPHIS, ONCE AGAIN: FURTHER DOCUMENTS
193
Document 5: Steatite Cylindric Seal of king Senwosert III at Mit-Rahina
A small steatite cylindrical seal of king Senwosert III found at Mit-Rahina, now in
'Michalidis Collection', includes the epithet of nb rA-Hwj
24
'lord of the mouth of
@wj'.
25
This particular site is a regional centre near Rakotis in Lower Egypt.
26

Document 6: Gray Granite Offering Table of Ameny-Seneb (Figures 4a-b)
The last item dating to the Twelfth Dynasty is now housed in the Mit-Rahina
museum and is a gray granite offering table of the 'overseer of the stable of ibexes',
Ameny-Seneb,
27
and son of the lady It.
28
The table is inscribed in sunken relief with
two offering-formula addressed to the god Cbk AbTty 'Sobek of the net'.
29
According
to the Register Book of the Antiquities Inspectorate at Mit-Rahina, the offering
table was originally discovered in the ruins of the Ptah temenos at Memphis.
However, I have reason to believe that the table either came from the Sobek temple
called Hwt-kA-PtH in Memphis or that it was one of the sixteen (limestone ?)
offering tables from the First Intermediate PeriodMiddle Kingdom private
cemetery discovered by M. A. Towab el-Hitta at Kom el-Fakhry.
30

On the right-hand side the text reads:
Htp di ncw Cbk AbTty di.f n.f Hnqt Hmw cnTr xAw DfAw Htpw xt nb(t) nfrt wabt
'An offering which the king gives (to) Sobek of AbTty (the net?), may he grant to
him offerings of beer, Hmw-incense, xAw-vessels,
31
food and offerings and every
good and pure thing'.
On the left-hand side the text reads:
Htp di ncw Cbk AbTty di.f prt-xr[w tA Hnqt kAw Apdw Ss mnxt ] xt nb(t) nfrt wabt
anxt nTr im n

kA mr-pr mAHDw / gHcw / nAww Imny-cnb ir n It nb imAxw
'An offering which the king gives (to) Sobek of AbTty (the net?), may he grant an
invocation offering [of bread, beer, ox and fowl, alabaster and linen ] and every
good and pure thing on which the god lives, for the kA of the overseer of the stable
of ibexes Ameny-Seneb, born of the lady It, lord of the honoured ones'.
C. New Kingdom
Evidence for the god Sobek in Memphis during the New Kingdom can be found on
several items and include: two tablets from the region of the Tura and Maasara
quarries;

a list of the Memphite gods in Soker's chapel in the temple of Seti I
(1296-1279 BC) at Abydos;

on Papyrus Sallier IV, dated to the middle of Ramses
II's reign
32
(1279-1212 BC); on Papyrus Harris I, from the reign of Ramses III
(1185-1153 BC) and Ramses IV (1153-1146 BC); and finally on a stela discovered
in the excavations of Philadelphia University's Museum.
33

BASEM SAMIR EL-SHARKAWY
194
Document 7: Tura Quarries (Tablet 2) (Figure 5)


The first tablet dating to the Eighteenth Dynasty shows king Amenhotep II
purifying offerings and censing before several deities including Sobek. Although
the associated inscriptions are destroyed, the iconography indicates the god is
positioned third among the upper register of gods on the tablet ( 2), which is
located at the entrance to the Tura quarries.
34

Document 8: Maasara Quarries (Tablet 7) (Figure 6)
The second undated tablet ( 7) at Maasara quarries,
35
just south of Tura provides
more information. The inscriptions state: 'Sobek, lord of RA-Aw (Tura)'. A figure of
the deity is represented and he wears a short kilt with an ox(?) tail and the Atf-
crown while holding the wAc-scepter in his left hand and the anx-sign in his right
hand. Another column of inscription immediately before Sobek mentions the name
of the goddess Isis with the title of 'mistress of the Sycamore'.
36

Document 9: Soker's Chapel in the Temple of Seti I at Abydos
Sobek was also noted on the list of Memphite Gods ( 28) in Soker's chapel (U on
Mariette's plan)
37
in the temple of Seti I at Abydos.
38
The god appears as
@r Hr rmn.f 'Horus who is on his standard' ( 43)
39
or @rj-rmn.wj.f '(who is) on his
two standards'.
40
G. A. Gaballa explained the existence of the crocodile-deities in
'The Festival of Soker' at Memphis as being associated with Osiris, who merged
with the Memphite god Soker in the myth describing his death when a crocodile
covered his body after drowning.
41

Document 10: Papyrus Sallier IV (p.BM 10184 vs.)


Dating to the reign of Ramses II, Papyrus Sallier IV (p.BM 10184 vs., 1, 5. 9; 2. 1-
2) mentions the '(temple of) the god Sobek' as being one of the temples of the great
Ptah in the Memphite region.
42
The god and temple is described as Cbk n Mrj-Ra
'Sobek of Mery-Re' (vs. 1, 9); the 'gods who are in pr-PtH "the temple of Ptah" ' and
psD.t imj.t Pr-PtH 'the Ennead who is in the temple of Ptah' (vs. 1, 5); 'the Ennead
of the West ... to every god and goddess (vs. 2,1); and 'who is in the neighbourhood
of Memphis' (vs. 2,2).
43

P. Montet
44
highlights that Papyrus Sallier IV writes the name of the god in Cbk n
Mrj-Ra 'Sobek of Mery-Re' (vs. 1,9) with the crocodile-shape followed by , the
last sign of which can be translated as 'property, house, palace, domain and/or
temple.' This particular writing of the deity's name may indicate that Sobek is
associated with Mery-Re's property and that the god had a sanctuary or his temple
among the remains of a property once owned by the Sixth Dynasty king 'Mery-Ra'
(Pepy I) in Memphis.
45

SOBEK AT MEMPHIS, ONCE AGAIN: FURTHER DOCUMENTS
195
Document 11: Papyrus Harris I (p.BM 9999)


Dating to the reigns of Ramses III and Rameses IV of the Twentieth Dynasty,
46

Papyrus Harris I (p.BM 9999, 47, 1; 48, 9-10; 49, 6-7)
47
mentions the name of the
temple of Sobek at Memphis, Inb-Cbk, i.e. 'the Wall of Sobek', on three
occasions.
48
The text reads as follows:



' ,
(47/1)
and its skin in beautiful gold inscribed with your name on it, you appear
your heart being joyful [in] 'Jnb-Cbk', in your glorious hidden image as (Ptah) he
who is south of his wall, as you fill your city 'Memphis' with the light of your body,
while the people rejoiced at seeing your beauty.'



'
(48/9)
I made to you a great offering feast for the head of the inundation for your
great glorified beloved name 'Ptah-Nun', the great, father of the gods. The food
existed like water in your great glorified court called 'Jnb-Cbk',
(48/10)
for all your
images, and for the Ennead of the primeval water. I gave them donations from
treasurers, storehouses, granaries, cattle stables, and chickens stables annually, to
please the board of the Great Nun (until) they (became) satisfied and enjoyed the
feast when (they) watch it.'
BASEM SAMIR EL-SHARKAWY
196


'
(49/6)
And I offered you a generous duty from incense, to scent your temple with
(the Pwnt) scent, for the good sake of your two glorious nostrils in the early
morning, and I planted the incense, frankincense,
(49/7)
and Terebinth trees in your
glorified great court at 'Jnb-Cbk', which I brought from 'the land of God' to fulfill
the two uraei-serpents on your forehead every morning'.
Document 12: Stela (Fragment M-2673) from the Philadelphia University's
Museum excavations
Sobek is illustrated on a stela discovered at Mit-Rahina in the excavations of the
Philadelphia University Museum during fieldwork seasons in 1915-1923.
49

D. Ptolemaic Period
There are only two documents known from this period and are as follows:
Document 13: Papyrus in the National library at Strasburg
A hymn to the god Sobek-Re dated to the first century BC, now housed in the
National library at Strasburg,
50
describes how Sobek emerged with Re and joined
with the god Ptah-Tatenen in Memphis.
51
Papyrus Harris I also indicates that
Sobek merged with Ptah 'who is south of his wall' in his temple at Memphis. The
hymn includes the following inscription: . M.
Sandman-Holmberg translated the reference to Sobek as '[Sobek-R] and Tatenen
at Memphis',
52
however I would prefer to read the original hieroglyphic text as:
[Cbk'-Ra] &A-tnn m @w.t-kA-PtH with the translation as follows: '[Sobek-R] and
Tatenen at the @w.t-kA-PtH temple'. It should be noted here that the reference is to
the temple and not to the city.
53

SOBEK AT MEMPHIS, ONCE AGAIN: FURTHER DOCUMENTS
197
Document 14: Saqqara Records
Saqqara's records refer to one of the cult places of Sobek in the Memphite region as
Cbk m tp-in.t 'Sobek at the top of the valley'. This area
presumably lies between the city and the necropolis, yet another record refers to
Sobek's cult at Saqqara in the region called km or kA-kmt 'the Serapeum
of Memphis'.
54

Conclusion
There is evidence for the cult, temple and priesthood of the crocodile-god Sobek in
the Memphite region during the Archaic Period (Doc. 1) as well as in the Old
Kingdom, according to several notations in Unas' Pyramid Texts (Doc. 2). The god
Sobek may have had his sanctuary or temple associated with an old property
belonging to king 'Mery-Re' (Pepy I) in Memphis city (Doc. 10), while in the
Middle Kingdom Sobek gained epithets such as 'the lord of Tura', a locality in the
eastern quarter of Memphis (Docs. 3 and 4). Sobek also appears to be associated
with ancient capital of Memphis in the New Kingdom and is mentioned on two
tablets from the Tura and Maasara quarries (Docs. 7 and 8), one of which dates to
the reign of Amenhotep II (Doc. 7). Only one of the documents from the New
Kingdom, Papyrus Harris I (BM 9999) (Doc. 11), provides the name of the temple
of Sobek at Memphis, which is , and Inb-Cbk 'the Wall of
Sobek' and is in the context of a great festival and series of ceremonies during the
reign of Ramses III. It should be noted that the exact meaning of the term 'Sobek's
wall' is open to interpretation as the designation has been considered by some
scholars, especially Budge and Montet, as the name of the area in which the temple
was situated. By contrast, Hassan considers Jnb-Cbk 'Sobek's Wall' as a sanctuary
at Memphis where the statue of the god in a naos was removed and presented to the
populous. Yet, another document from the New Kingdom mentions that the temple
was inside the 'temenos' of Ptah temple, called @wt-kA-PtH, at Memphis (Doc. 10).
Finally, there is literary evidence for Sobek in the Ptolemaic period (Doc. 13),
where the god, as Sobek-Re, unified with the local deity Ptah-Tatenen. The
Memphite region provides further evidence to suggest that Sobek as worshiped in
several places in the city itself, as well as at Saqqara during the Ptolemaic period
(Doc. 14).



BASEM SAMIR EL-SHARKAWY
198

1
B. S. El-Sharkawy, 'Sobek's Cult and Temple at Memphis, p.BM 10184 verso & p.BM
9999 [and other sources]', in M. Eldamaty and M. Trad (eds), Egyptian Museum
Collections around the World. Studies for the Centennial of the Egyptian Museum, Cairo,
2 vols., (Cairo, 2002), II, 1079-1089.
2
B. S. El-Sharkawy, The Memphite Priesthood till the beginning of Ptolemaic Period (IN
ARABIC WITH ENGLISH SUMMERY), 2 vols., (M.A. diss., Ain-Shams University, Cairo,
2003), I, 48-50, 101-103, 448; II, 657-658, 660-661, 662, 662-663, 663-664.
3
B. S. El-Sharkawy, The Ancient Capital Memphis Series from the Flourish to the Decline
(3100 BC to 640 AD). A Historical, Cultural, and Archaeological Study, Part I. Memphis.
'The City of Gods and Goddesses in Ancient Egypt' [IN ARABIC WITH ENGLISH ABSTRACT],
(Cairo, 2007), 134-137, 200 [ 17], 203 [ 20], 206 [ 30], 235 [ 128], 260-261 [
229], 405 (fig. 135).
4
W. M. F. Petrie, Memphis I, BSAE 15 (London, 1909), 4a (8., bottom).
5
W. Erichsen, Papyrus Harris I. Hieroglyphische Transkription, BAe V (Bruxelles, 1933),
50 (47, 1), 54 (48, 9-10), and 55 (49, 6-7).
6
W. R. Dawson, 'Anastasi, Sallier, Harris and their Papyri', JEA 35 (1949), 161-166.
7
S. Hassan, Masr El-Qadimah, 16 vols. (Cairo, 2000), VII, 428 and its footnote no. (1),
432. P. Montet completed two translations, one on the 'Crocodile's Wall' and the other on
'Sobek's Wall', see P. Montet, Gographie de L'Egypte Ancienne, I, Imprimerie Nationale
(Paris, 1957), 33. Compare with P. Grandet's reading and translation as Inb itj 'Governor's
Wall', P. Grandet, Le Papyrus Harris I, 2 vols., IFAO (Le Caire, 1994), I, 287 (47, 1), 289
(48, 9; 49, 7), 291 (no. s); II, 170 (n. 689) and 175 (n.
.
710).
8
H. Kees, Der Gtterglaube im alten gypten, MVG 45 (Leipzig, 1941); H. Kees, Der
Gtterglaube im alten gypten (Berlin, 1956), 'Memphis', 286; cf. H. Brugsch,
Dictionnaire Gographique de L'Ancienne gypte (Leipzig, 1877-1880), 48; H. Kees,
'Eine Liste memphitischer Gtter im Tempel von Abydos', Rec. Trav. 37 (1915), 68 n.
.
28,
73.
9
El-Sharkawy, The Ancient Capital Memphis Series, I. Memphis. 'The City of Gods and
Goddesses in Ancient Egypt', 134-137.
10
J.-P. Lauer and P. Lacau, Le pyramide degrees, V. Inscriptions l'encre sur les vases,
IFAO (Cairo, 1965), 118.
11
E. A. W. Budge, The Gods of The Egyptians. Studies in Egyptian Mythology, 2 vols.,
(New York, 1969), I, 78.
12
E. A. W. Budge, The Book of the Dead. The Hieroglyphic Transcript: English Translation
of the Papyrus of Ani (New Jersey, 1996), 188 and 545.
13
Budge, The Gods of The Egyptians I, 78.
14
K. Sethe, Die altgyptischen Pyramidentexte nach den Papierabdrcken und
Photographien des Berliner Museums, 4 vols. (Leipzig 1908-1922), I, 234; S. A. B.
Mercer, The Pyramid Texts (Toronto, 1952), 101 (mentioned as Unas Pyr. 455).
15
Sethe, Die altgyptischen Pyramidentexte I, 253; Mercer, The Pyramid Texts, 105.
16
Sethe, Die altgyptischen Pyramidentexte I, 260; Mercer, The Pyramid Texts, 109.
17
Sethe, Die altgyptischen Pyramidentexte I, 261; Mercer, The Pyramid Texts, 109.
18
For cult sites associated with Sobek dating to the Middle Kingdom, see F. Goma
c
, 'Der
Krokodilgott Sobek und seine Kultorte im Mittleren Reich', Studien zu Sprache und
Religion gyptens zu Ehern von Wolfhart Westendorf, II (Gttingen, 1984), 787-803
(799).
19
See El-Sharkawy, in Eldamaty and Trad (eds), Egyptian Museum Collections around the
World II, 1080, 1085-1086, 1088 n. 44.
SOBEK AT MEMPHIS, ONCE AGAIN: FURTHER DOCUMENTS
199

20
Petrie, Memphis I, 6b (bottom)-7a (top); J. H. Walker, 'Chapter VIII: The Inscriptions', in
Petrie, Memphis I, 17b-18a (bottom), pl. V (lines 1 and 6); El-Sharkawy, in Eldamaty and
Trad (eds), Egyptian Museum Collections around the World II, 1085-1086.
21
El-Sharkawy, The Ancient Capital Memphis Series I [IN ARABIC], 200 [ 17], 203 [
20], 206 [ 30], 235 [ 128], 279 (fig. 8), 280 [15].
22
See B. S. El-Sharkawy, 'Geo-structural Dictionary of Inb-HD (Memphis), the First Nome of
Lower Egypt' [IN ARABIC], in Proceedings of The Fourth Conference of the Faculty of
Archaeology Cairo University Al-Fayoum Branch, On Capitals and Great Cities in
Egypt Along the History. 'Studies on History, Archaeology, Restoration, Tourism,
Geography, and Environment 7-9 April 2004, 2 vols. (Al-Fayoum, 2004), I, 121 [item
129]; El-Sharkawy, The Ancient Capital Memphis Series I [IN ARABIC], 235 [ 128]; cf.
203 [ 20], 206 [ 30], 405 (fig. 135).
23
See H. Altenmller and A. M. Moussa, 'Die Inschrift Amenemhets II aus dem Ptah-
Tempel von Memphis: Ein Vorbricht', SAK 18 (1991), 1-48, pl. 1.
24
J. Yoyotte, 'Le Soukhos de la Marotide et d'autres cultes rgionaux du dieu-crocodile
d'aprs les cylindres du Moyen Empire', BIFAO 56 (1957), 81-95; G. Godron, 'Deux
objets du Moyen Empire mentionnant Sobek', BIFAO 63 (1965), 198.
25
Montet, Gographie l'Egypte Ancienne I, 69-70.
26
J. Yoyotte, BIFAO 56 (1957), 81-95; G. Godron, BIFAO 63 (1965), 198.
27
H. Ranke, Die gyptischen Personennamen, 3 vols. (Glckstadt, 1935), I, 32: 2 (m, MR).
28
Ranke, PN I, 49: 3 (f, MR).
29
See Ibty/IbTty in E. A. W. Budge, An Egyptian Hieroglyphic Dictionary, 2 vols. (New
York, 1978), II, 956a.9, 1013b.1-2; H. Gauthier, Dictionnaire des noms Gographiques,
contenus dans les texts Hiroglyphiques, 6 tomes, IFAO (Le Caire, 1925), 3: 5, 66: 1. 4;
A. Erman and H. Grapow, Wrterbuch der gyptische Sprache (Berlin), I, 64: 21-65: 1.
30
See M. A. T. El-Hitta, 'Fouilles de Memphis Kom el Fakhri: Les grandes dcouvertes
archologiques de 1954', La Revue du Caire, Numro Spcial 33, no. 175 (Cairo, 1955),
50-51, figs. 33-35; C. Lilyquist, 'Early Middle Kingdom Tombs at Mitrahina', JARCE 11
(1974), 27-30, pls. 1-3.
31
See Wb III, 225: 10-16 (xAw); compare with 224: 16 and 226: 7 (xAy/xAwy).
32
D. Meeks, 'Une Fondation Memphite de Taharqa, Stle du Caire JE 36861', BdE 81
(Cairo, 1979), 231; U. Rssler-Khlerm 'Papyrus-Verzeichnis' in W. Helck and W.
Westendorf, (eds), Lexikon Der gyptologie, IV (Wiesbaden, 1982), 691-692.
33
A. R. Schulman, 'Memphis 1915-1923: the Trivia of an Excavation', in A-P. Zivie (ed),
Memphis et ses Ncropoles au Nouvel Empire. Nouvelles donnes, Nouvelles questions,
Actes du Colloque International CNRS Pairs 9 au 11 octobre 1986, Avant-Propos de Jean
Leclant, ditions du Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (Paris, 1988), 85 n. 41.
34
H. Vyse (Colonel), Operations carried on at the Pyramids of Giza III (London, 1842),
Tourah Quarries. Tablet at the Entrance, N
o
2 after 96; and Massara Quarries N
o
7 after 98.
35
Vyse, Operations carried on at the Pyramids of Giza III, Massara Quarries N
o
7 after 98.
36
Vyse, Operations carried on at the Pyramids of Giza III, Tablet N
o
7 after 98; B. S. El-
Sharkawy, The Ancient Capital Memphis Series I, 135, 203 [ 20], 405 (fig. 135).
37
Kees, Rec. Trav. 37 (1915), 68, n
o
28; A. Mariette, Abydos, 2 vols. (Paris, 1869-1880); A.
M. Caverly et al., The Temple of King Sethos Iat Abydos, 4 vols. (London and Chicago,
1933-38).
38
Kees, Rec. Trav. 37 (1915), 68, n
o
28.
39
Kees, Rec. Trav. 37 (1915), 71.
40
Kees, Rec. Trav. 37 (1915), 75.
41
G. A. Gaballa and K. A. Kitchen, 'The Festival of Soker', Orientalia 38 (1969), 50.
BASEM SAMIR EL-SHARKAWY
200

42
R. A. Caminos, Late Egyptian Miscellanies, Brown Egyptological Studies I (London,
1954), 333-349 (a letter concerning the wonders of Memphis).
43
Caminos, Late Egyptian Miscellanies, 333 and 340. See also F. Daumas, Les dieux de
l'gypte, (Paris, 1965), 82.
44
Montet, Gographie de L'Egypte Ancienne I, 33.
45
El-Sharkawy, in Eldamaty and Trad (eds), Egyptian Museum Collections around the
World II, 2: 1081, 1083, 1088; El-Sharkawy, The Ancient Capital Memphis Series I, 135.
46
Erichsen, Papyrus Harris I, passim; Grandet, Le Papyrus Harris I, passim.
47
Erichsen, Papyrus Harris I, 50 (47, 1), 54 (48, 9-10), 55 (49, 6-7).
48
El-Sharkawy, in Eldamaty and Trad (eds), Egyptian Museum Collections around the
World II, 1081-1084, 1087-1089; El-Sharkawy, The Ancient Capital Memphis Series I,
135-137, 203 [ 20].
49
Schulman, in Zivie (ed.), Memphis et ses Ncropoles au Nouvel Empire, 85 n. 41.
50
P. Bucher, 'Les hymnes Sobek-R, Seigneur de Smenou, des papyrus 2 et 7 de la
Bibliothque Nationale de Strasbourg', Kmi 1 (1928), 41-52, 147-166; P. Bucher, 'Les
hymnes Sobek-R, Seigneur de Smenou, des papyrus 2 et 7 de la Bibliothque Nationale
de Strasbourg', Kmi 3 (1930-1935), 1-19.
51
M. Sandman-Holmberg, The God Ptah (Lund, 1946), 48* (Text no. 239).
52
Sandman-Holmberg, The God Ptah, 188.
53
According to Sallier IV, vs. 2, 2.
54
See El-Sharkawy, The Ancient Capital Memphis Series I, 137, 260-261 [ 229].
SOBEK AT MEMPHIS, ONCE AGAIN: FURTHER DOCUMENTS
201
FIGURE 1. Unas' Pyramid Texts mentioning the deity Sobek.
a) (Doc. 2a) Unas Pyramid Text, 565 (PT 456a).
b) (Doc. 2b) Unas Pyramid Text, 600 (PT 489c).
c) (Doc. 2c) Unas Pyramid Text, 621 (PT 507b).
d) (Doc. 2d) Unas Pyramid Text, 627 (PT 510a).
FIGURE. 2. (Doc. 3) Granite block of 'the overseer of the city and vizier', Ameny.
BASEM SAMIR EL-SHARKAWY
202
FIGURE 3. (Doc. 4) The facsimile of the granite stela of Amenemhat II at the Ptah temple (in situ)
showing the name Sobek with his title as 'a lord of Tura' on the column x+29.
SOBEK AT MEMPHIS, ONCE AGAIN: FURTHER DOCUMENTS
203
FIGURE 4a. (Doc. 6a) Gray granite offering table of Ameny-Seneb in the Mit-Rahina
Museum.
FIGURE 4b. (Doc. 6b) Inscriptions on the offering table of Ameny-Seneb in the Mit-Rahina
Museum.
BASEM SAMIR EL-SHARKAWY
204
FIGURE 5. (Doc. 7) Upper Register of the Tablet 2 at the Tura Quarries, east Memphis.
FIGURE 6. (Doc. 8) Tablet 7 at the Maasara Quarries, east Memphis.