Sebkay

Nowadays, Sebkay is a topic that has caught the attention of many people around the world. Whether due to its impact on society, its relevance in history, or its influence on popular culture, Sebkay is a topic that continues to generate interest and debate. In this article, we will explore in depth the different facets of Sebkay, from its origins to its current impact. We will analyze how Sebkay has evolved over time and how it has influenced different aspects of everyday life. From its historical roots to its relevance today, Sebkay continues to be an exciting topic that deserves our attention and reflection.
Sebkay
Sebekay, Sebekāi
Closeup of the ivory wand showing the king's name.
Closeup of the ivory wand showing the king's name.
Pharaoh
Reignuncertain date
Royal titulary
Nomen
Sebkay
Sb-k3jj
G39N5
sD58kAii
Dynasty13th Dynasty

Sebkay (alternatively Sebekay or Sebekāi[1]) was an ancient Egyptian pharaoh during the Second Intermediate Period. For a long time his position created problems and he was most often placed into the 13th Dynasty. However, the discovery of the tomb of a king with the name Senebkay make it very likely that Sebkay is identical with the latter and the writing of the name Sebkay is just a misspelling of the name.[2]

Very little is known about him, since his name is attested only on a wooden birth Tusk (wand) found at Abydos and now in the Cairo Museum (CG 9433 / JE 34988).[3]

Identity

Since the discovery of the wand, several Egyptologists have tried to identify this king with other rulers of the Second Intermediate Period. Stephen Quirke believed that “Sebkay” was a diminutive for “Sedjefakare”, which is the throne name of Kay-Amenemhat,[4] while Jürgen von Beckerath considered the name a short form of the nomen “Sobekhotep” instead.[1] Thomas Schneider supports von Beckerath's hypothesis, specifying that the king Sobekhotep likely was Sobekhotep II.[5]

A more radical hypothesis came from Kim Ryholt, who suggested the reading “Seb's son Kay”, de facto splitting the name “Seb-kay” in two different pharaohs and thus filling a gap in the Turin King List before Kay-Amenemhat. Furthermore, in this reconstruction the name of the last mentioned king should be considered a patronymic too, and must be read “Kay's son Amenemhat”, thus setting a dynastic line consisting of three kings: Seb, his son Kay, and the latter's son Amenemhat. Ryholt's interpretation is considered daring and controversial by some egyptologists.[5]

In 2014, at Abydos, a team of archaeologists discovered the tomb of a previously unknown king of the Second Intermediate Period, called Senebkay. It has been suggested that this ruler and Sebkay might be the same person.[6]

Full view of the ivory wand. Sebkay's name is carved on the left side.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sebkay.

References

  1. ^ a b Jürgen von Beckerath, Untersuchungen zur politischen Geschichte der Zweiten Zwischenzeit in Ägypten, Glückstadt, Augustin, 1964, p. 46.
  2. ^ Ilin-Tomich, Alexander, 2016, Second Intermediate Period. In Wolfram Grajetzki and Willeke Wendrich (eds.), UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology, Los Angeles. http://digital2.library.ucla.edu/viewItem.do?ark=21198/zz002k7jm9 p. 10
  3. ^ Georges Daressy, Catalogue Général des Antiquités Égyptiennes du Musée du Caire: Textes et dessins magiques. Le Caire: Imprimerie de L'institut Français D'archéologie Orientale (1903), pl. XI.
  4. ^ "Sebkay page on". Eglyphica.de. Retrieved 2014-08-18.
  5. ^ a b Thomas Schneider, in Erik Hornung, Rolf Krauss, and David A. Warburton (eds) Ancient Egyptian Chronology, Brill, Leiden – Boston, 2006, pp. 178-79.
  6. ^ Finding a Lost Pharaoh Archived 2014-01-28 at archive.today, Archaeology and arts. Retrieved 08 May 2014
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