Sobekhotep IV

The main event during my trip to Paris was a visit to the Louvre Museum. Since I have done quite a bit of research into the history of Egypt's Second Intermediate Period, it was only natural that I quickly located a number of pieces from that period.

Sobekhotep IV of the Thirteenth Dynasty was likely one of the most able Pharaohs of the period. Not only did he reign for at least nine years, but there are also at least nine known sculptures of this king. Most of the pharaohs of this time have left us little but their names.

The statue shown here may have been originally discovered at Tanis, but that is not certain. Even if the statue was found at Tanis, it was not originally erected there. Possibly it was brought from Memphis? In any event, this statue is carved from red granite and is about 2.71 meters in height (slightly larger than life-size).

We do not know a lot about the reign of this king. He was preceded on the throne by his brother Neferhotep I. Sobekhotep V (possibly a son of Sobekhotep IV) succeeded him. His parents do not seem to have been of royal blood.

For more information on this pharaoh, see: Ryhol, K. S. B., The Political Situation in Egypt During the Second Intermediate Period, Copenhagen: CNI Publications, 1997.

The known statues of Sobekhotep IV are catalogued in: Davies, W. V.: A Royal Statue Reattributed, London: British Museum, Occasional Papers #28, 1981, pp. 25 - 7.

Photos copyright John Freed, 2012.