The Seventeenth Dynasty (Part 3)

Nebkheperre was succeeded by “The Horus Wahankh, Established in Life, Two Ladies Woserenpet, Rich in Years, The Golden Horus Wadj […], Flourishing in […], the King of Upper and Lower Egypt, Sekhemre Wahkau, the Image of Re Whose Crowns are Established, the Son of Re Rahotep” (Winlock, Rise and Fall, p. 122). This King’s name appears on the Karnak King-List (Hayes, CAH, p. 66) and upon three stelae dating to his reign. One of these stelae shows Rahotep and several of his officials offering to Osiris Khenty-Amenty in connection with ceremonies commemorating Rahotep’s restoration of the Osiris temple at Abydos (J. J. Clere, “La Stele de Sankhptah Chambellan du Roi Rahotep,” Journal of Egyptian Archaeology 68 (1982): pp. 63 – 5). The second stela was erected, “at the time of building the wall anew, in the temple of Osiris” (Winlock, Rise and Fall, p. 122), while the third stela shows Rahotep and Queen [Sobek]emsaf offering to Min (Stewart, p. 84). The location of the tomb of Rahotep is unknown.

Sekhemre Wadjkau Sobekemsaf seems to have reigned for at least seven years, as there is an inscription in the Wadi Hammamat from that year (Beckerath, p. 117). This Pharaoh erected monuments at Thebes, Medamud, Abydos and Elephantine (Beckerath, p. 177), and von Beckerath mentions four statues bearing the name of Sobekemsaf, two of which clearly belong to this reign. Von Beckerath believes that the other two belong to this reign as well (Beckerath, p. 177). To this list must be added the statue in the British Museum (BM 871) which has recently been reattributed to Sobekemsaf rather than to one of the Dynasty Thirteen Sobekhoteps (Davies, W. V., A Royal Statues Reattributed (London: British Museum, 1981), p. 1). A stela shows that his wife was named Nebemhat, and that he had a daughter named Sebekemheb, as well as a son-in-law named Ameny (Stewart, p. 18). There is also some evidence that Sobekensaf had a son, also named Sobekemsaf, who predeceased him (Winlock, Tombs, p. 269).