The Thirteenth Dynasty of ancient Egypt (notated Dynasty XIII) was a series of rulers from around 1802 BC until around 1649 BC, around 153 years. It is often classified as the final dynasty of the Middle Kingdom (which includes Dynasties 11, 12, and 14), but some historians instead group it in the Second Intermediate Period (with Dynasties 14 through 17).

The 13th Dynasty initially ruled from the Nile Delta to the second cataract of the Nile. However, the dynasty marked a period of decline and instability, with the Canaanite Dynasty 14 rising concurrently and the Hyksos Dynasty 15 taking control shortly after.

Amenemhat Sobekhotep I is usually considered the 13th Dynasty's first king, and Ay I, while not the final king, was the last to occupy the Middle Kingdom capital of Itjtawy, and the last of the dynasty with a significant recorded reign.

Chronology and rulers Egyptologist Kim Ryholt (1997:190) argues that the 13th Dynasty lasted from 1803-1649 BC, lasting around 154 years.Kim S. B. Ryholt, The Political Situation in Egypt during the Second Intermediate Period, c. 1800–1550 B.C., Museum Tusculanum Press 1997

According to Ryholt, the 13th Dynasty had some continuity with the preceding 12th Dynasty. With the first king, Sobekhotep I, being the son of a certain Amenemhat, Ryholt proposes Amenemhat IV of the 12th Dynasty as a possible father. This is unlikely as Amenemhat IV was succeeded by his sister Sobekneferu and not directly by Sobekhotep I, suggesting that Amenemhat IV didn't have any children.

Ryholt also proposes that the demarcation between the two dynasties reflects the rise of the independent 14th Dynasty in the eastern Delta, an event which, he proposes, occurred during Sobekneferu's reign. As direct heirs to the kings of the 12th Dynasty, kings of the 13th Dynasty reigned from Memphis over Middle and Upper Egypt, all the way to the second cataract to the south. The power of the 13th Dynasty waned progressively over its 153 years of existence and it finally came to an end with the conquest of Memphis by the Hyksos rulers of the 15th Dynasty, around 1649 BC. According to Kim Ryholt, the 13th dynasty's power reached its height under three successive powerful ruling kings named Sobekhotep III, Neferhotep I, and Sobekhotep IV, but the administration's power appears to have collapsed many decades later after the reign of Ay I, who is the last 13th Dynasty king to be attested in both Lower and Upper Egypt.

In later texts, this dynasty is usually described as an era of chaos and disorder. However, the period may have been more peaceful than was once thought since the central government in Itjtawy near the Faiyum was sustained during most of the dynasty and the country remained relatively stable. The period was undoubtedly characterized by decline, with a large number of kings with short reigns and only a few historical attestations. The true chronology of this dynasty is difficult to determine as there are few monuments dating from the period. Many of the kings' names are only known from odd fragmentary inscriptions or from scarabs. The names and order in the table are based on three Egyptologists, Dodson, Hilton, and Ryholt.Aidan Dodson, Dyan Hilton: The Complete Royal Families of Ancient Egypt. The American University in Cairo Press, London 2004. pp. 100–101

+13th Dynasty Monarchs of EgyptPortrait NameReign Burial Consort(s)LifespanComments Amenemhat Sobekhotep Ic. 1802 - c. 1800 BC Died c. 1800 BCThe dominant hypothesis is that Amenemhat Sobekhotep I was the founder of the dynasty,Darrell D. Baker: The Encyclopedia of the Pharaohs: Volume I - Predynastic to the Twentieth Dynasty 3300–1069 BC, Stacey International, , 2008 in older studies Wegaf Amenemhat Senebefc. 1800 - c. 1796 BC Died c. 1796 BCPerhaps a son of Amenemhat IV and brother of Sekhemre Khutawy Sobekhotep Nerikare c. 1796 BC Died c. 1796 BC Amenemhat Vc. 1796 - c. 1793 BC Died c. 1793 BC Ameny Qemau c. 1793 - c. 1792 BC Pyramid of Ameny Qemau Died c. 1792 BC Qemau SiharnedjheritefK. S. B. Ryholt, Hotepibre, a Supposed Asiatic King in Egypt with Relations to Ebla, Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research, No. 311 (Aug., 1998), pp. 1–6c. 1792 - c. 1790 BC Died c. 1790 BC Perhaps identical with King Sehotepibre in the Turin Canon Iufnic. 1790 - c. 1788 BC Died c. 1788 BCKnown only from the Turin canon Ameny Amenemhat VIc. 1788 - c. 1785 BC Died c. 1785 BC Nebnunic. 1785 - c. 1783 BC Died c. 1783 BC Sehetepibre c. 1783 - c. 1781 BC Died c. 1781 BC Sewadjkare I c. 1781 BC Died c. 1781 BCKnown only from the Turin canon Nedjemibre c. 1781 - c. 1780 BC Died c. 1780 BCKnown only from the Turin canon Sobekhotep II c. 1780 - c. 1777 BC Died c. 1777 BC Renseneb c. 1777 BC Died c. 1777 BC Hor c. 1777 - c. 1775 BC Dahshur Died c. 1775 BC Sekhemrekhutawy c. 1775 - c. 1772 BC Died c. 1772 BC Possibly a son of Hor Awybre Djedkheperew c. 1772 - c. 1770 BC Died c. 1770 BC Possibly a brother of SekhemrekhutawySebkayc. 1770 - c. 1769 BCDied c. 1769 BCPossibly two kings, Seb and his son Kay Kay Amenemhat VII c. 1769 - c. 1767 BC Died c. 1767 BC Wegaf c. 1767 BC Died c. 1767 BC Khendjer c. 1767 - c. 1759 BC Pyramid of KhendjerVerner, Miroslav. The Pyramids: The Mystery, Culture, and Science of Egypt's Great Monuments. Grove Press. 2001 (1997). Seneb[henas?]Died c. 1759 BC May also have borne the name Nimaatre Imyremeshaw c. 1759 - c. 1757 BC Died c. 1757 BC Intef c. 1757 - c. 1755 BC Died c. 1755 BC Seth Meribre c. 1755 BC Died c. 1755 BC Sobekhotep III c. 1755 - c. 1751 BC SenebhenasGrajetzki, Ancient Egyptian Queens: A Hieroglyphic Dictionary, Golden House Publications, London, 2005, NeniDied c. 1751 BC Neferhotep I c. 1751 - c. 1740 BC SenebsenDied c. 1740 BC Sihathor c. 1740 - c. 1739 BC Died c. 1739 BCEphemeral coregent with his brother Neferhotep I Sobekhotep IV c. 1739 - c. 1730 BC TjanDied c. 1730 BC Brother of Neferhotep I and Sihathor Sobekhotep V c. 1730 - c. 1727 BC Died c. 1727 BC Sobekhotep VI c. 1720 BC Died c. 1720 BC Ibiau c. 1713 BC Died c. 1713 BC Ay I c. 1690 BC Built a pyramid whose location is unknown, maybe near MemphisLabib Habachi: Khata'na-Qantir: Importance, ASAE 52 (1954) pp. 471–479, pl.16–17 Died c. 1690 BC Reigned around 23 years, the longest reign of the dynasty. Last king to be attested in both Lower and Upper Egypt.

Following these kings, the remaining rulers of the 13th Dynasty are only attested by finds from Upper Egypt. This may indicate the abandonment of the old capital Itjtawy in favor of Thebes. Daphna Ben Tor believes that this event was triggered by the invasion of the eastern Delta and the Memphite region by Canaanite rulers. For some authors, this marks the end of the Middle Kingdom and the beginning of the Second Intermediate Period.Daphna Ben Tor: Sequences and chronology of Second Intermediate Period royal-name scarabs, based on excavated series from Egypt and the Levant, in: The Second Intermediate Period (Thirteenth-Seventeenth Dynasties), Current Research, Future Prospects edited by Marcel Maree, Orientalia Lovaniensia Analecta, 192, 2010, p. 91 This analysis is rejected by Ryholt and Baker however, who note that the stele of Seheqenre Sankhptahi, reigning toward the end of the dynasty, strongly suggests that he reigned over Memphis. The stele is of unknown provenance. +13th Dynasty Monarchs of Egypt continuedPortraitNameReignLifespanComments Inic. 1677 - c. 1675 BCDied c. 1675 BC Also known as Ini I Sewadjtu c. 1675 - c. 1672 BCDied c. 1672 BC Hori c. 1669 - c. 1664 BC Died c. 1664 BC Also known as Hori II Sobekhotep VIIc. 1664 - c. 1663 BC Died c. 1663 BC Unknown UnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknown Merkheperre c. 1656 BC Died c. 1656 BC Merkare c. 1656 BC Died c. 1656 BC Known only from the Turin canon Unknown UnknownUnknown [...]mosre Ibi [...]maatre Hor [...] [...]webenre Sekhemkare IIc. 1653 BC Died c. 1653 BCName reconstructed as Sekhemkare based on a hypothesis by Darrell Baker filling the lacunae in the Turin King List and the Seheqenre Sankhptahi steleBaker, Darrell D. (2008). The Encyclopedia of the Egyptian Pharaohs. Volume I: Predynastic Through Twentieth Dynasty (3300–1069 BC). Bannerstone Press. [...]re Se[...]enrec. 1649 BC Died c. 1649 BCPossibly the Turin canon's preservation of the prenomen Sewahenre

The chronological position of a number of attested rulers could not be conclusively determined due to a lack of evidence: +13th Dynasty Monarchs of Egypt, undetermined positionPortraitNameComments Neferhotep II Possibly the same as Mersekhemre Ined Ini II According to von Beckerath, successor of Sewadjare Mentuhotep V and predecessor of Merkheperre Senebmiu According to von Beckerath, successor of Se[...]kareMentuhotep VSankhptahiRepresented on a stele offering to PtahDedumose I Dedumose IIPossibly a vassal of the HyksosMontemsafSenusret IVPossibly ruled in the 17th dynastyNebmaatrePossibly ruled in the 17th dynastySobekhotep IX

Sobekhotep I and II Ryholt posits a ruler named "Sobkhotep I Sekhemre Khutawy" as the first king of this dynasty. This is now the dominant hypothesis in Egyptology and Sobekhotep Sekhemre Khutawy is referred to as Sobekhotep I in this article. Ryholt thus credits Sekhemre Khutawy Sobkhotep I with a reign of 3 to 4 years around 1800 BC and proposes that Khaankhre Sobekhotep II reigned around 1780 BC.K.S.B. Ryholt. The Political Situation in Egypt during the Second Intermediate Period c. 1800–1550 B.C. Carsten Niebuhr Institute Publications 20. Copenhagen Dodson and Hilton similarly believe that Sekhemre Khutawy Sobekhotep predated Khaankhre Sobekhotep.Dodson, Hilton, The Complete Royal Families of Ancient Egypt, 2004

Successors

After allowing discipline at the southern forts to deteriorate, the government eventually withdrew its garrisons and, not long afterward, the forts were reoccupied by the rising Nubian state of Kush. In the north, Lower Egypt was overrun by the Hyksos, a Semitic people from across the Sinai. An independent line of kings created Dynasty XIV that arose in the western Delta during later Dynasty XIII. According to Manetho, into this unstable mix came invaders from the east called the Hyksos who seized Egypt "without striking a blow; and having overpowered the rulers of the land, they then burned our cities ruthlessly, razed to the ground the temples of gods..." Their regime, called Dynasty 15, was claimed to have replaced Dynasties 13 and 14 in most of the country.