The Pharaos

Pharaohs / Dynasty 13

Sobekhotep III

Pl. 82 · also Sekhemre Sewadjkare Sobekhotep

1745 BC to 1741 BC, about 4 years · Second Intermediate Period

Modern phonetic rendering, not a copy of an inscription

Sobekhotep III ruled Egypt during the Thirteenth Dynasty, governing for roughly four years between 1745 BC and 1741 BC. His dates remain uncertain by approximately twenty-five years. He was the son of Mentuhotep and Iuhetibu, a non-royal family whose rise reflects the shifting patterns of succession during the Second Intermediate Period.

Ruling from the residence at Itjtawy, Sobekhotep III maintained religious foundations across Upper Egypt. The period was marked by relatively short reigns, yet his administration was able to commission masonry works and temple furnishings. His reign immediately preceded further dynastic turnover before the fragmentation of the kingdom accelerated.

Modern understanding of this king relies largely on surviving inscriptions, including additions made to the temple of Montu at Medamud and stelae erected at Elkab. His tomb has never been identified, and no mummy survives.

Monuments

  • Additions to temple of Montu at Medamud
  • Stelae at Elkab

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Dates are conventional and approximate. See method and sources.