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159b: Double Death
King Ay suffered badly in the afterlife. His funeral, in 1331 BCE, was poor; and a few decades/centuries later, vandals broke into his tomb. They ransacked the monument, attacked the King's images, a…
Published on 3 years, 10 months ago
159: End of an Era
When Ay Died. The elderly pharaoh, Kheper-kheperu-Ra Ay, probably died in his fourth or fifth year of power (c. 1331 / 1330 BCE). Officially, his reign was short. But in the big picture, Ay's influen…
Published on 3 years, 10 months ago
158b: Ay, jr.
Pharaoh's Nephew. A small statue, in the Brooklyn museum, tells a tale. Of a King's nephew (by marriage), and the paths to lucrative work and influence in Egyptian society. A young man, also named Ay…
Published on 3 years, 10 months ago
158: What Ay Did
Building Legacies. It is easy to overlook Ay, as a minor figure in the history of ancient Egypt. However, when we step back, and view his entire career (including pre-royal achievements), we can see …
Published on 3 years, 10 months ago
157b: Warlords
Horemheb and Hatti. In the days of King Ay (and Tutankhamun before him) conflicts in Canaan and Syria remained a constant issue. In recent years, scholars have uncovered more information about these …
Published on 3 years, 11 months ago
157: Ay's Road to Kadesh
Keeping up with the Kadeshians. In the past, historians thought the Egyptian government was passive (or even "pacifist") in the days of Akhenaten, Tutankhamun, and Ay. However, newer research has pro…
Published on 3 years, 11 months ago
156: Oh, Ay Just Can't Wait to be King
The servant ascends. Considering his background, it's not surprising that King Ay turned out to be quite "conservative." His early deeds continued the policies of Tutankhamun (a regime in which Ay ha…
Published on 3 years, 11 months ago
155: The Queen's Gambit
A difficult decision. Events in this period are murky. But if Ankhesenamun was the "Daḫamunzu" of Hittite record, then her attempt to find a new husband (of royal blood) had failed. So, she would hav…
Published on 4 years ago
154: Daḫamunzu (tA-Ḥmt-nswt)
He said, she said. Around 1334 BCE (give or take), the King of Hatti received a curious message. While on campaign, King Suppiluliuma got word that Egypt's pharaoh (someone called "Nib-ḫuru-riya") ha…
Published on 4 years ago
Interview: Tutankhamun Inc. with Prof. Christina Riggs
Face-to-face with the legends. Christina Riggs is a Professor (History of Visual Culture) at Durham University. In 2021, her book Treasured: How Tutankhamun Shaped a Century took a broader view of th…
Published on 4 years ago