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 Cbk Cbk Cbk Cbk, and in new
Egyptian , or Cbjk Cbjk Cbjk Cbjk
6
, was certainly worshipped in

*
This Article is an extract from The Memphite Priesthood till the beginnings of the Ptolemaic Times a
Master 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
1080
the 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 19
th
Dynasty, in the letter already quoted of %tj %tj %tj %tj- -- -kA kA kA kA
Styka, the chantress of the goddess Hathor at Memphis, to %xm.t %xm.t %xm.t %xm.t- -- -nfr.t nfr.t nfr.t nfr.t Sakhmetnefret,
the chantress of god Amun in Thebes, wife of the priest of of Amun and great lector-
priest of Thebes Jmn Jmn Jmn Jmn- -- -m mm m- -- -HA.t HA.t HA.t HA.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 Mrj Cbk n Mrj Cbk n Mrj Cbk n Mrj- -- -Ra Ra Ra Ra
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 (Eou_o Eou_o Eou_o Eou_o), Abbrev. Sock- (Eok Eok Eok Eok) or Sek-
(Eck Eck Eck Eck), 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 Goma
c
, 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 (n
o.
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.
SOBEKS CULT AND TEMPLE AT MEMPHIS

1081
temple of Ptah pr pr pr pr- -- -PtH PtH PtH PtH; ... to the Ennead who are in the temple of Ptah psD.t imj.t Pr psD.t imj.t Pr psD.t imj.t Pr psD.t imj.t Pr- -- -
PtH PtH PtH PtH, ...
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 Mrj Cbk n Mrj Cbk n Mrj Cbk n Mrj- -- -Ra Ra Ra Ra (read Mr Mr Mr Mr- -- -wr wr wr wr) , 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,
Mr Mr Mr Mr- -- -wr wr wr wr, literally the great channel, Mo i , modern K:m Med;net Ghur<b WXYZ[ \]^
_`abc
16
in El-Fayum oasis
17
, -and I think that he had mistaken in this case- , he also
said that it is found, however, as part of the palace names The House of Meryr'
c
and
The Castle of Meryr'
c
in the Wilbour papyrus
18
.
Montet also refers that Pap. Sallier IV mentioned Sobek of Mery-R6 (Pepy I)
Cbk n Mrj Cbk n Mrj Cbk n Mrj Cbk n Mrj- -- -Ra Ra Ra Ra (vs. 1,9) , followed by pr pr pr pr which means property, house, palace,
domain, temple, , with the crocodile-shape in the same sentence. This indicates
that Sobek (existed) in Mery-R' (Pepy I)s property, which proves that the god Sobek
had had his Sanctuary or his Temple , lying on the ruins of an old property [maybe a
palace] which belonged to king Mery-R6 (Pepy I) in Memphis
19
.
Doc. 2-a. - Pap. Harris I, page 47, line 1:
(47, 1)
13
Which could be translated also into: The god Sobek whom beloved by R'.
14
Caminos, LEM, 333 and 337.
15
Caminos, LEM, 334.
16
Caminos, LEM, 340.
17
Dieter Arnold, Fajjum, L II (Wiesbaden, 1977), 87-88.
18
Caminos, LEM, 340.
19
Pierre Montet, Gographie de LEgypte Ancienne I, Imprimerie Nationale (Paris, 1957), 33; Caminos,
LEM, 333 and 340.
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] Jnb Jnb Jnb Jnb- -- -C CC Cbk bk bk bk , 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).
SOBEKS CULT AND TEMPLE AT MEMPHIS

1083
at Jnb Jnb Jnb Jnb- -- -C CC Cbk bk bk bk, 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 20
th
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
nw nw nw nw 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 20
th
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
, Jnb Jnb Jnb Jnb- -- -Cbk Cbk Cbk Cbk, 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, 1
st
ed., Dover Publications (New York,
1978), vol. 2, 959 b.
EL-SHARKAWY
1084
last one
28
. Selim Hassan saw that Jnb Jnb Jnb Jnb- -- -C CC Cbk bk bk bk 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 Jnb Jnb Jnb Jnb- -- -Cbk Cbk Cbk Cbk 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') be
Tatenen at Memphis
32
, the author prefers to read the original hieroglyphic text
33
[.] &A &A &A &A- -- -tnn m @w.t tnn m @w.t tnn m @w.t tnn m @w.t- -- -KA KA KA KA- -- -PtH PtH PtH PtH, 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).
SOBEKS CULT AND TEMPLE AT MEMPHIS

1085
R') be Tatenen at @w.t @w.t @w.t @w.t- -- -KA KA KA KA- -- -PtH PtH PtH PtH (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 12
th

Dynasty, dating back to the reign of Sesostris 1
st
(#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 12
th
Dynasty: Sesostris 1
st
.
Sobek was also adored from the Middle Kingdom in ; Km Km Km Km- -- -wr wr wr wr (?) which
FarPk Goma
c
considers as Athribis Km-wj or in the 6
th
Nome of Lower Egypt #Asww
36
, but W. Spiegelberg concluded that Km Km Km Km or Km.t Km.t Km.t Km.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 Km Km Km Km 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 Goma
c
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 Goma
c
, Der Krokodilgott Sobek und seine Kultorte im Mittleren
Reich, Studien zu Sprache und Religion gyptens, Band 2: Religion, 797 (no. 40).
36
Goma
c
, 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 21
st

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
1086
Also 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
Goma
c
referred to Sobek, the lord of Jwnw Jn Jwnw Jn Jwnw Jn Jwnw 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; Goma
c
, 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- -- -rmw rmw rmw rmw or &j &j &j &j- -- -rmw rmw rmw rmw, opposite to Tell el-Moqattam ,=s=\! . , in $rj-aHA Old-Cairo -=,.s\! _= ,
Jwnw Heliopolis, and many places in it; Goma
c
, Der Krokodilgott Sobek, 798 (n
os.
84, 51, 50 and
footnotes n
os.
99-100, 105).
40
Jamieson B. Hurry, Imhotep, The Vizier and Physician of King Zoser and afterwards the Egyptian god
of Medicine, 2
nd
& Revised Edition, Oxford University Press, Oxford 1928, translated by Mohamed El-
Azab Mousa, revised by Prof. Mahmud Maher Taha (Cairo,1988), footnote n
o.
88 (by the translator) on p.
157.
SOBEKS CULT AND TEMPLE AT MEMPHIS

1087
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 (19
th
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 19
th

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 itj inb itj inb itj inb itj
43
, and not as Jnb Jnb Jnb Jnb- -- -%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 n
o.
689) and 175 (footnote n
o.
710).
EL-SHARKAWY
1088
being 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 12
th
Dyn., according to the 12
th
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, 1
st
published (London &
New York, 1999), 713-716.
SOBEKS CULT AND TEMPLE AT MEMPHIS

1089
medical-oils and incenses extracted from those small Mediterranean trees. This was
one of their priestly duties.