Senebsumai

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Senebsumai
in hieroglyphs
Stela showing Senebsumai, seated on the left, and his servant, Horiwah, motioning before him

Senebsumai was an Ancient Egyptian official. He dates to the thirteenth dynasty and he held important administrative offices during the reign of Sobekhotep II that began ca. 1760 BC through the reign of Neferhotep I that ended ca. 1730 BC.

Biography

The earliest known records of his career identify Senebsumai as high steward; later he became treasurer. He held offices during the period now described as the Second Intermediate Period of Egypt. This period followed the collapse of the brilliant Egyptian twelfth dynasty, which came to an end around 1803 BC with the death of Queen Sobekneferu, who apparently had no heirs. This sudden change closed the Golden Age of the Middle Kingdom, which was succeeded by the much weaker thirteenth dynasty. Retaining the seat of the preceding dynasty, the thirteenth dynasty ruled from Itjtawy ("Seizer-of-the-Two-Lands") near Memphis and el-Lisht, just south of the apex of the Nile Delta. The power of administrative officials in the northern portion of Egypt rose with its loss of native royal succession and would gain in strength until native rulers from Thebes regained authority over all of Egypt, establishing the New Kingdom and the eighteenth dynasty in 1550 BC.

Senebsumai is known from a remarkable series of monuments, the preservation of which makes him the best attested Egyptian official of the thirteenth dynasty. He is known from more than twelve stelae all coming from Abydos. Most of the stele show Senebsumai with other, lower officials in scenes depicting them as they performed work for him.

There are more than thirty scarab seals identified to date that relate to Senebsumai. This also is the highest number of seals for a thirteenth dynasty official. All of these finds reinforce an understanding of his longevity in offices held and the respect given to him.

Several other artifacts have been discovered at important Ancient Egyptian sites that are associated with Senebsumai. Fragments of accounts mentioning him were found in El-Lahun. A bronze statue of him was found at Hawara. A relief or a coffin fragment with coffin texts bearing his name and titles is recorded from finds at Dahshur.

An important colleague of Senebsuamai was the high steward Ameny.

Literature

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