SOBEKS CULT AND TEMPLE AT MEMPHIS *

(Pap. BM 10184 verso & Pap. BM 9999)

BASEM SAMIR EL-SHARKAWY

This study is mainly based on two papyri preserved at the British Museum. The Egyptian deity Sobek occurs in both papyri, with reference to his cult and temple at Memphis. The first: Pap. Sallier IV 1 contains a letter from a chantress of the goddess Hathor at Memphis to a chantress of god Amun in Thebes (verso 1, 1 to 4, 8) 2. The second: Pap. Harris I 3 (47, 1; 48, 9-10 & 49, 6-7) is known to have contained chronicles of king Ramses III 4. In addition to these two papyri, there occur mention of Sobek-R6s adoration at Memphis, in a hymn in a papyrus (100 B.C.) preserved now at Strasbourg 5.

The Egyptian deity Sobek , , , or CbkCbkCbkCbk, and in new

Egyptian , or CbjkCbjkCbjkCbjk 6, was certainly worshipped in

* This Article is an extract from The Memphite Priesthood till the beginnings of the Ptolemaic Times aMaster Thesis submitted by the author, to the History Department, Faculty of Arts, Ain-Shams University, Cairo-Egypt. I would like to acknowledge with deep appreciation the many pointed comments and suggestions made to me by Profs. Abd El-Halim Nour El-Din, and Farouk Hafez El-Qady. My sincere thanks are tendered also to Mrs. Carol Wichman, the library volunteer of The American Research Center in Egypt, who helped me to correct the manuscript of this article. 1 BM 10184 vs. (middle of Ramses IIs reign) ; Dimitri Meeks, Une Fondation Memphite de Taharqa, Stle du Caire JE 36861, BdE 81, IFAO (Cairo, 1979), 231; L IV (Wiesbaden, 1982), 691-2. 2 Ricardo A. Caminos, Late Egyptian Miscellanies, Brown Egyptological Studies I, Geoffre Cumberlege, Oxford University Press (London, 1954), 333-349 (a letter concerning the wonders of Memphis) .3 BM 9999 (Ramses III and Ramses IV s reigns) . 4 Warren R. Dawson, Anastasi, Sallier, Harris and their Papyri, JEA 35 (1949), 161-6. 5 Maj Sandman-Holmberg, The god Ptah, C.W.K. Gleerup (Lund, 1946), 188 and 48* (Text no. 239). 6 Wb. IV, 95 [2]; VI, 246 [b.]; E. A. Wallis Budge, The Gods of The Egyptians, Studies in Egyptian Mythology, Dover Publications (New York, 1969), vol. 1, 78 ; E. A. Wallis Budge, The Book of the Dead,

EL-SHARKAWY 1080the Old Kingdom (Unass pyramid texts, no. 565) 7, and the crocodile was the sacred animal of this god 8. He had a huge number of sites for his cult in Middle Kingdom 9,may be Memphis was one of them. But according to Kess 10, the cult of crocodile (=Sobek) appeared at Memphis from the early times (Archaic Period).

Doc. 1 - Pap. Sallier IV, verso 1,1 to 4,8 (Invocations to the Memphite Gods and Goddess) 11:

There is an important mention about Sobeks adoration at the great temple of Memphis, from the middle of the 19th Dynasty, in the letter already quoted of %tj%tj%tj%tj----kAkAkAkA Styka, the chantress of the goddess Hathor at Memphis, to %xm.t%xm.t%xm.t%xm.t----nfr.tnfr.tnfr.tnfr.t Sakhmetnefret, the chantress of god Amun in Thebes, wife of the priest of of Amun and great lector-priest of Thebes JmnJmnJmnJmn----mmmm----HA.tHA.tHA.tHA.t (vs. 1, 1) , blessing the Memphite Gods and Goddesses and offering them her prayers and invocations (Sallier IV, verso 1, 1 to 4, 8), in which Styka, the chantress of the goddess Hathor at Memphis mentions the (temple of) the god Sobek included in the temples of the great Ptah, describing it (vs. 1, 9) Sobek the god of Mery-R' 12 Cbk n MrjCbk n MrjCbk n MrjCbk n Mrj----RaRaRaRa 13 (vs. 1, 5) ... and the gods who are in the

The Hieroglyphic Transcript, English Translation of the Papyrus of Ani (New Jersey, 1996), 188 and 545. His name was written in Greek Sochos or Suchus (), Abbrev. Sock- () or Sek- (), and followed by any other word ; Wb. IV, 95 [2]; VI, 246 [b.] . 7 Budge considered this Pyr. Text as reference to Sobeks worshipped in early archaic period, in his book: The Gods of The Egyptians, vol. 1, 78. 8 Budge, The Book of the Dead, pp. 188 and 545 . 9 For the Sobeks cult sites in Middle Kingdom see : FarPk Gomac , Der Krokodilgott Sobek und seine Kultorte im Mittleren Reich, Studien zu Sprache und Religion gyptens, Band 2: Religion, zu Ehern von Wolfhart Westendorf, berreicht von seinen Freunen and Schlern (Gttingen, 1984), 787-803, specially p. 799. 10 Hermann Kess, Der Gtterglaube im alten gypten, Zweite Ergnzte Auflage, Akademie - Verlag (Berlin, 1956), Memphis, 286; cf. H. Brugsch, Dictionnaire Gographique de L'Ancienne gypte,Librairie J. C. Hinrichs. (Leipzig, 1877-1880, sp. 1879), 48; H. Kess, Eine Liste memphitischer Gtter im Tempel von Abydos, Rec. Trav. 37 (1915), 68 (no. 28) and 73. 11 Caminos, LEM, 333-49. 12 Caminos, LEM, 333 and 340; see also: Franois Daumas, Les dieux de l3gypte, Que sais-je ?, Presses Universitaires de France (Paris, 1965), 82.

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temple of Ptah prprprpr----PtHPtHPtHPtH; ... to the Ennead who are in the temple of Ptah psD.t imj.t PrpsD.t imj.t PrpsD.t imj.t PrpsD.t imj.t Pr----PtHPtHPtHPtH, ... 14 (vs. 2,1) to Ennead of the West ; ... to every god and goddess (vs. 2,2) who is in the neighbourhood of Memphis 15.

While Caminos tells us about (vs. 1,9) Cbk n MrjCbk n MrjCbk n MrjCbk n Mrj----RaRaRaRa (read MrMrMrMr----wrwrwrwr) , that the well-attested name Meryr'c , variant Mir'c (cf. Ranke, PN, I, 157,8) yields no sense here, nor is Meryr'c the name of any known locality , he takes it to be a corruption of Mi-w'r, MrMrMrMr----wrwrwrwr, literally the great channel, , modern K:m Med;net Ghur

EL-SHARKAWY 1082

sic. 20.Selim Hassan translated it into: , (47,1) and its skin in beautiful gold inscribed with your name on it , you appear your heart being joyful [in] JnbJnbJnbJnb----CCCCbkbkbkbk , in your glorious hidden image as (Ptah) he who is south of his wall, as you fill your city Memphis with the light of your body, while the people rejoiced at seeing your beauty 21.

Doc. 2-b. - Pap. Harris I, page 49, lines 6-7: (49, 6)

(49, 7) sic.

sic. sic.

22.Hassan translated it into: (49,6) And I offered you a generous duty from incense, to scent your temple with (the

Pwnt) scent, for the good sake of your two glorious nostrils in the early morning, and I planted the incense, frankincense, (49,7) and Terebinth trees in your glorious great court

20 W. Erichsen, Papyrus Harris I, Hieroglyphische Transkription, BAe V (Bruxelles, 1933), 50 (47, 1). For Hieratic see: Pierre Grandet, Le Papyrus Harris I, IFAO (Le Caire, 1994), vol. 1, 287 (47, 1). 21 Selim Hassan, Masr El-Qadimah, vol. 7, General Egyptian Book Organization (Cairo, 2000), 428. 22 Erichsen, Papyrus Harris I, BAe V, 55 (49, 7). For Hieratic see: Grandet, Le Papyrus Harris I, vol. 1, 289 (49, 7).

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at JnbJnbJnbJnb----CCCCbkbkbkbk, which I brought from the land of God to fulfill the two uraei-serpents on your forehead every morning 23.

Pap. Harris I, from the 20th Dynasty, which mentioned Sobeks Wall in it, identified one form of the god Ptah with the shape of the god Sobek (see above: Pap. Harris I, page 47, line 1). The papyrus tells us that the Terebinth 24 and incense trees were planted there in Sobeks temple domain built on the ruins of the old property of the king Pepy I, near to his (=Sobek) water lake [which was there as a sacred lake!], where many offerings and sacrifices (see above: Pap. Harris I, page 49, lines 6-7) were made with huge considerable quantities to the honor of Ptah, the Primeval Water PtH PtH PtH PtH nwnwnwnw and the Holy Water of the Ennead (see: Pap. Harris I, page 48, lines 9-10) 25.

Answering the question: What is the so-called , or in Pap. Harris I (47,1; 48,9 and 49,7) 26 from the 20th Dynasty? will help to clarify and to prove that god Sobek was worshipped in Memphis. Also a new reading of the above three papyri, and taking into account the commentary of a determinative and a related sign in Sallier IV (vs. 1, 9), supports the idea that Sobeks cult and priesthood had existed at Memphis.

According to Budge 27, JnbJnbJnbJnb----CbkCbkCbkCbk, is a name of a quarter of Memphis, and

the Scholars translated into Sobeks Wall, though the crocodile-sign is

not followed by god-determinative . Montet had two translations for it, one into Crocodiles Wall, and the second into Sobeks Wall. It would be better to use the

23 Selim Hassan, Masr El-Qadimah, vol. 7, 432. 24 Terebinth: A small Mediterranean tree (Pistacia terebinthus) that is a source of tanning material and turpentine [= oil used in natural therapy]; The American Heritage Dictionary, Version 3.0A, Houghton Mifflin Company, World Star International Incorporated, (1993), subjects: (1) Terebinth & (2) turpentine. 25 Montet, Gographie de LEgypte Ancienne I, 33; W. Erichsen, Papyrus Harris I, BAe V, 54 (48, 9-10). 26 W. Erichsen, Papyrus Harris I, BAe V, 50 (47, 1) and 55 (49, 7). 27 E. A. Wallis Budge, An Egyptian Hieroglyphic Dictionary, 1st ed., Dover Publications (New York, 1978), vol. 2, 959 b.

EL-SHARKAWY 1084last one 28. Selim Hassan saw that JnbJnbJnbJnb----CCCCbkbkbkbk was Sobeks Wall, which is a sanctuary at Memphis, on the god in his Naos being carried to it among the cheerful people 29. Petrie

also holds that this mention from Pap. Harris I page 47 line 1 , page 48 line 9

and page 49 line 7 (the Wall of Sobek), is an allusion to the existence of Sobeks cult and temple at Memphis 30.

From similar cases 31, it is possible to say that, this name , ,

, or JnbJnbJnbJnb----CbkCbkCbkCbk is either a name of the Sobeks temple itself, or a name of a temples region, or again a name of a quarter, or it may indicate all of them. I think it was the name of Sobeks temple itself (Harris I, 48, 9-10).

Doc. 3 - Strasbourg Papyrus: Furthermore, what supports the above-mentioned evidences, is a mention from a

hymn to the crocodile-god Sobek-R6 in a papyrus from 100 B.C., now at Strasbourg, considering Sobek-R6 as being (Ptah-)Tatenen. This is to increase, in the usual manner, the gods glory by identifying him with the other great gods, among others with Tatenen at Memphis. Although Sandman-Holmberg in her translation used: (Sobek-R') beTatenen at Memphis 32, the author prefers to read the original hieroglyphic text

33 [.] &A&A&A&A----tnn m @w.ttnn m @w.ttnn m @w.ttnn m @w.t----KAKAKAKA----PtHPtHPtHPtH, as being (Sobek-

28 Montet, Gographie de LEgypte Ancienne I, 33. 29 Selim Hassan, Masr El-Qadimah, vol. 7, footnote no. 1 on p. 428. 30 William Mathew Flinders Petrie, Memphis, vol. I, BSAE 15, University College (London, 1909), 4; W. Erichsen, Papyrus Harris I, BAe V, 50 (47, 1) and 55 (49, 7). 31 As (Hw.t kA PtH) temple towns name of Ptah at Memphis was called on, all the quarter, the capital, and the Nome; Budge, An Egyptian Hieroglyphic Dictionary, vol. 2, 1014[b] and 1018[b]. 32 Maj Sandman-Holmberg, The god Ptah, 188. 33 Maj Sandman-Holmberg, The god Ptah, 48* (Text no. 239).

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R') be Tatenen at @w.t@w.t@w.t@w.t----KAKAKAKA----PtHPtHPtHPtH (temple). The reference here is not to the city, but to the temple 34.

Doc. 4 Text from Ptah temple at Memphis: The eldest mention of the god Sobek found in the Memphite religious texts, after

the pyramid texts of Unas, are the reliefs of Ptahs temple, from the middle of the 12th Dynasty, dating back to the reign of Sesostris 1st (#pr kA Ra) , in the text : Sobek, the Lord of ..., be his name 35. So we may conclude that the appearance of Sobek at Memphis, if not as a cult or a worship in a temple with its private priesthood, exists at least as a hallowing and sanctification in the main temples texts, in the reign of the second king in the 12th Dynasty: Sesostris 1st.

Sobek was also adored from the Middle Kingdom in ; KmKmKmKm----wrwrwrwr (?) which FarPk Gomac considers as Athribis Km-wj or in the 6th Nome of Lower Egypt #Asww 36, but W. Spiegelberg concluded that KmKmKmKm or Km.tKm.tKm.tKm.t, was a part of the Memphite necropolis of sacred bulls Apis [Serapeum] at Saqqara 37. A. Spalinger tell us that this Memphite locality of KmKmKmKm is not too well known 38.

34 According to Sallier IV, vs. 1,9. 35 Petrie, Memphis I, BSAE 15, 18a; cf. Pl.V; line(6). FarPk Gomac connected god sobek in this sentence with RA-Hwj (?), in der Umgebung von Alexandrien/Mariut-See, vermutlich die Metropole des 7. unteragypten Gaues im MR; FarPk Gomac, Der Krokodilgott Sobek und seine Kultorte im Mittleren Reich, Studien zu Sprache und Religion gyptens, Band 2: Religion, 797 (no. 40). 36 Gomac, Der Krokodilgott Sobek und seine Kultorte im Mittleren Reich, Studien zu Sprache und Religion gyptens, Band 2, 802-3 (no. 67 and footnote no. 105). 37 Wilhelm Spiegelberg, Das Grab eines Grossen und seines Zwerges aus der Zeit des Nektanebs, ZS 64 (1929), 80. He quoted that from a mention in two texts, one of them being a Serapeums Stele from 21st year of Ptolemy V Epiphaness reign, which Brugsch published in his article: Der Apis Kreis aus den Zeiten der Ptolemer, ZS 22 (1883), 125. 38 Anthony Spalinger, The Reign of King Chabbash: An Interpretation, ZS 105 (1978), 143.

EL-SHARKAWY 1086Also we could find other feeble references to Sobeks cult from the Middle

Kingdom at the Memphite Nome or surrounding it 39.

Doc. 5 Hermetica s mention : A passage in Hermetica contains an important information about a crocodiles

beach which existed in the Libyan Desert near to Asklepieion (= Imhotep temple to the west of Memphis) lying on The Libyan Mount [see: W. Scott, Hermetica, I, 358-9; III, 221, 223-4]. It is worth mentioning that the Libyan Desert is a term denoting -in ancient times- the Saqqara region and all the desert extending to the west of the Niles Valley, known today as Western Desert 40. If the crocodiles beach was described as lying beside the Asklepieion, it gives us reasons to understand that it is located somewhere near Zosers Mortuary Complex and the Serapeum. This might prove that the region of Saqqara had also crocodiles, at the same time that it was full of marshes and jungles as seen in the reliefs of Saqqaras nobles tombs while sporting and hunting this of course before the time Saqqara turned into an arid zone. Crocodiles-existing in Saqqara and the necessity of burying them supports Grard de Nerval s note about seeing crocodiles mummies not yet discovered at Saqqaras sacred animals graveyard. Considering his description of the animals graveyard with the word sacred verifies the

39 Gomac referred to Sobek, the lord of Jwnw JnJwnw JnJwnw JnJwnw Jn or . If it possible to connect

with , the late name of cult site of god Sobek and goddess Sakhmet, maybe it could be located in Memphis city or in its neighbourhood; Gomac, Der Krokodilgott Sobek, 799 (no. 53 & footnote 113); Hermann Kess, Eine Liste memphitischer Gtter im Tempel von Abydos, in: Rec Trav 37 (1915), pp. 72-3; cf. H. Gauthier, DG, (Caire, 1925-1931), VI, p. 52. Sobek is adored also in &r&r&r&r----rmwrmwrmwrmw or &j&j&j&j----rmwrmwrmwrmw, opposite to Tell el-Moqattam , in $rj-aHA Old-Cairo ,Jwnw Heliopolis, and many places in it; Gomac, Der Krokodilgott Sobek, 798 (nos. 84, 51, 50 and footnotes nos. 99-100, 105). 40 Jamieson B. Hurry, Imhotep, The Vizier and Physician of King Zoser and afterwards the Egyptian god of Medicine, 2nd & Revised Edition, Oxford University Press, Oxford 1928, translated by Mohamed El-Azab Mousa, revised by Prof. Mahmud Maher Taha (Cairo,1988), footnote no. 88 (by the translator) on p. 157.

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opinion that crocodiles (=Sobek) were worshipped at Saqqara itself or at Memphis, as will be referred soon to in the present study.

Doc. 6 Grard de Nerval s mention: The authors hypothesis and above-opinion are supported by the existence of

Sobeks sacred animals graveyard at Saqqara 41. Grard de Nerval (19th century, French writer and poet) had already referred to the existence of this graveyard in his known book Voyage en Orient, 1851. In describing his trip to the sacred animals necropolis at Saqqara in 1843: It is exciting to visit the animals graveyards which spread in the valley at large numbers, some for cats, some for crocodiles , and others for Ardeola-Ibis-birds [= Threskiornis aethiopica]. Millions of animals are stacked carefully, the Egyptians suffered much to mummify and to bury them!. The French Archeologist Alan P. Zivie says: from the beginning of the well-organized academic excavations at Saqqara in 19th century, until now, no one had discovered any Crocodiles cemetery or mummies, but surely someday one of these will be discovered 42.

Pierre Grandet, however, recently read and translated , and

in Harris I as Governors Wall inb itjinb itjinb itjinb itj 43, and not as JnbJnbJnbJnb----%bk%bk%bk%bk ; this newly suggested transliteration and translation cannot keep up away from all previous demonstrations, witnesses, evidences, and proofs, which not only proves the existence of Sobeks cult, temple, and dedicated priests, but also indicates the existence of the sacred animals, which were served and preserved by his cults priests at his city-temple, before

41 His priests used to mummify & bury him there after serving him all his life-time in his temples sacred lake at Memphis. 42 Alian-Pierre Zivie, Dcouverte Saqqara Le Vizir oubli (Paris, 1990), Chapitre II, under title: La visite de Grard de Nerval.43 Grandet, Le Papyrus Harris I, vol. 1 (Le Caire, 1994), 287 (47, 1), 289 (48, 9; 49, 7), 291 (no. s); vol. 2, 170 (footnote no. 689) and 175 (footnote no. 710).

EL-SHARKAWY 1088being buried by the priests in special graves in the sacred animals graveyard at Saqqara necropolis one of the great Memphite cemeteries and necropolises .

Conclusions :1- According to Petrie and Budge, the god Sobek had a quarter by his name at Memphis

the great city/capital of ancient Egypt, and this quarter comprised his temple. 2- Sobeks temple includes sacred lake [as shown by Pap. Harris I, 48, 9-10; 49, 6-7],

where the sacred animals of this god (i.e. sacred crocodiles) used to swim. 3- By the middle of Ramses IIs reign (Dyn. 19) [according to Pap. Sallier IV, verso 1, 9],

if not before that 44, this temple was built on the ruins of an old property (maybe a palace) which belonged to king Mery-R6 (Pepy I) !

4- Sobek was worshipped in his form as Sobek-R6 as being Ptah-Tatenen [according to Strasbourgs papyrus].

5- Sobeks cult at Memphis remained at least till 100 B.C. [according to Strasbourgs papyrus].

6- The gods priests served and preserved his sacred animal, and were keen to carefully mummify him after death, till completing the burying ceremonies to its end in the sacred animals graveyard 45 at Saqqara in the region of sacred crocodiles burials, as mentioned by Grard de Nerval in his aforesaid book.

7- It is possible to conclude from the existence of terebinth and incense trees (which had medical material used for a natural therapy) inside the domain of the gods temple [according to Pap. Harris I, 49, 6-7], that his priests perhaps medicated citizens with

44 Maybe from the temp of 12th Dyn., according to the 12th dynastys text from Ptah temple. 45 About the sacred animals graveyards at Saqqara necropolis, see: Michael Jones, Saqqara, Serapeum and animal necropolis, in: Kathryn A. Bard [compiled & edited by], Encycliopedia of the Archaeology of Ancient Egypt, with the editing assistance of Steven Blake Shubert, Routledge, 1st published (London & New York, 1999), 713-716.

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medical-oils and incenses extracted from those small Mediterranean trees. This was one of their priestly duties.