Editing Sobek (section)

==History==
Sobek enjoyed a longstanding presence in the ancient Egyptian pantheon, from the [[Old Kingdom of Egypt]] (c. 2686–2181 BCE) through the Roman period ({{circa| 30&nbsp;{{sc|BCE}}–350&nbsp;{{sc|CE}} }}). He is first known from several different [[Pyramid Texts]] of the Old Kingdom, particularly from spell PT 317.{{sfn|Bresciani|2005|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=zz5oNwmdaTcC&pg=PA199 199]}}{{sfn|Bresciani|2005|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=zz5oNwmdaTcC&pg=PA200 200]}} The spell, which praises the [[pharaoh]] as the living incarnation of the [[Nile crocodile|crocodile]] god, reads:
{{quote|[[Unas|Unis]] is Sobek, green of plumage, with alert face and raised fore, the splashing one who came from the thigh and tail of the great goddess in the sunlight ... Unis has appeared as Sobek, [[Neith]]'s son. Unis will eat with his mouth, Unis will urinate and Unis will copulate with his penis. Unis is lord of semen, who takes women from their husbands to the place Unis likes according to his heart's fancy.{{sfn|Allen|Manuelian|2005|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=6VBJeCoDdTUC&pg=PA60 60] |loc=[https://books.google.com/books?id=6VBJeCoDdTUC&pg=PA15 The Pyramid Texts of Unis]}}}}

The origin of his name, ''Sbk''<ref name="WB IV, 95">WB IV, 95.</ref> in [[Egyptian language|Egyptian]], is debated among scholars, but many believe that it is derived from a causative of the verb "to impregnate".{{sfn|Murray|2004|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=WWI7-qA3pQAC&pg=PA107 107] |loc=[https://books.google.com/books?id=WWI7-qA3pQAC&pg=PA92 Religion]}}
[[File:Statue of Sobek Ashmolean.jpg|left|thumb|This statue of Sobek was found at [[Amenemhat III]]'s mortuary temple (which was connected to his [[pyramid]] at [[Hawara]] in the [[Faiyum]]), serving as a testament to this king's devotion to Sobek. [[Ashmolean Museum]], [[Oxford]].]]
[[File:Egyptian - Statue of a Crocodile with the Head of a Falcon - Walters 22347 - Right (cropped).jpg|thumb|left|This [[Late Period of ancient Egypt|Late Period]] ({{circa| 400–250&nbsp;{{sc|BCE}} }}) statue shows Sobek bearing the falcon head of Re-Harakhti, illustrating the fusion of Sobek and [[Ra|Re]] into Sobek-Re. [[Walters Art Museum]], [[Baltimore]].]]
Though Sobek was worshipped in the Old Kingdom, he truly gained prominence in the [[Middle Kingdom of Egypt|Middle Kingdom]] ({{circa| 2055–1650&nbsp;{{sc|BCE}} }}), most notably under the [[Twelfth Dynasty of Egypt|Twelfth Dynasty]] pharaoh, [[Amenemhat III]]. Amenemhat&nbsp;III had taken a particular interest in the [[Faiyum]] of Egypt, a region heavily associated with Sobek. Amenemhat and many of his dynastic contemporaries engaged in building projects to promote Sobek – projects that were often executed in the Faiyum. In this period, Sobek also underwent an important change: he was often fused with the falcon-headed god of divine kingship, [[Horus]]. This brought Sobek even closer with the kings of Egypt, thereby giving him a place of greater prominence in the Egyptian pantheon.{{sfn|Zecchi|2010|pp=37-52}} The fusion added a finer level of complexity to the god's nature, as he was adopted into the [[divine triad]] of Horus and his two parents: [[Osiris]] and [[Isis]].{{sfn|Zecchi|2010|p=3}}

[[File:Kom Ombo, Sobek 0319.JPG|thumb|left|This relief from the [[Temple of Kom Ombo]] shows Sobek with typical attributes of kingship, including a [[was-sceptre]] and royal kilt. The [[ankh]] in his hand represents his role as an Osirian healer and his crown is a solar crown associated with one of the many forms of [[Ra]].]]
Sobek first acquired a role as a [[solar deity]] through his connection to Horus, but this was further strengthened in later periods with the emergence of Sobek-Ra, a fusion of Sobek and Egypt's primary sun god, [[Ra]]. Sobek-Horus persisted as a figure in the [[New Kingdom of Egypt|New Kingdom]] (1550–1069&nbsp;{{sc|BCE}}), but it was not until the last dynasties of Egypt that Sobek-Ra gained prominence. This understanding of the god was maintained after the fall of Egypt's last native dynasty in [[Ptolemaic Kingdom|Ptolemaic]] and [[Roman Egypt]] ({{circa| 332&nbsp;{{sc|BCE}} – 390&nbsp;{{sc|CE}} }}). The prestige of both Sobek and Sobek-Ra endured in this time period and tributes to him attained greater prominence – both through the expansion of his dedicated cultic sites and a concerted scholarly effort to make him the subject of religious doctrine.{{sfn|Zecchi|2010|p=153}}{{sfn|Zecchi|2010|p=154}}