Ay in Wikipedia
Ay was the penultimate Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt's 18th
dynasty. He held the throne of Egypt for a brief four-year
period (probably 1323–1319 BCE[1] or 1327–1323 BCE,
depending on which chronology is followed), although he was
a close advisor to two and perhaps three of the pharaohs who
ruled before him and was the power behind the throne during
Tutankhamun's reign. Ay's prenomen or royal name-
Kheperkheperure-means "Everlasting are the Manifestations of
Ra" while his birth name Ay it-netjer reads as 'Ay, Father
of the God.'[2] Records and monuments that can be clearly
attributed to Ay are rare, not only due to his short length,
but also because his successor, Horemheb, instigated a
campaign of damnatio memoriae against him and other pharaohs
associated with the unpopular Amarna Period.
Origins
Ay is usually believed to be a native Egyptian from Akhmim.
During his short reign, he built a rock cut chapel in Akhmim
and dedicated it to the local deity there: Min. He may have
been the son of Yuya, who served as a member of the
priesthood of Min at Akhmin as well as superintendent of
herds in this city, and wife Tjuyu.[3] If so, Ay could have
been of partial non-Egyptian, perhaps Syrian blood since the
name Yuya was uncommon in Egypt and is suggestive of a
foreign background.[4] Yuya was an influential nobleman at
the royal court of Amenhotep III who was given the rare
privilege of having a tomb built for his use in the royal
Valley of the Kings presumably because he was the father of
Tiye, Amenhotep's chief Queen. There are also noted
similarities in the physical likenesses of monuments
attributed to Ay and those of the mummy of Yuya, and both
held similar names and titles.[5]
Amarna Period
All that is known for certain was that by the time he was
permitted to build a tomb for himself (Southern Tomb 25) at
Amarna during the reign of Akhenaten, he had achieved the
title of "Overseer of All the Horses of His Majesty", the
highest rank in the elite charioteering division of the
army, which was just below the rank of General.[6] Prior to
this promotion he appears to have been first a Troop
Commander and then a "regular" Overseer of Horses, titles
which were found on a box thought to have been part of the
original furnishings for his tomb.[7] Other titles listed in
this tomb include Fan-bearer on the Right Side of the King,
Acting Scribe of the King, beloved by him, and God's Father.
The 'Fan-bearer on the Right Side of the King' was a very
important position, and is viewed as showing that the bearer
had the 'ear' of the ruler. The final God's Father title is
the one most associated with Ay, and was later incorporated
into his royal name when he became pharaoh.[7]
This title could mean that he was the father-in-law of the
pharaoh, suggesting that he was the son of Yuya and Tjuyu,
thus being a brother or half-brother of Tiye, brother-in-law
to Amenhotep III and the maternal uncle of Akhenaten. If Ay
was the son of Yuya, who was a senior military officer
during the reign of Amenhotep III, then he likely followed
in his father's footsteps, finally inheriting his father's
military functions upon his death. Alternately, it could
also mean that he may have had a daughter that married the
pharaoh Akhenaten, possibly the father of Akhenaten's chief
wife Nefertiti. Ultimately there is no evidence to
definitively prove either hypothesis.[8] The two theories
are not mutually exclusive, but either relationship would
explain the exalted status to which Ay rose during
Akhenaten's Amarna interlude, when the royal family turned
their backs on Egypt's traditional gods and experimented,
for a dozen years or so, with monotheism; an experiment
that, whether out of conviction or convenience, Ay appears
to have followed under the reign of Akhenaten.
The Great Hymn to the Aten is also found in his Amarna tomb
which was built during his service under Akhenaten. It is
likely that this was required by Akhenaten, though not
evidence that Ay agreed with Akhenaten's decision to promote
the Aten above all other gods [9] it is strongly suggestive
that he did believe in Akhenaten's religious revolution.[10]
His wife Tey was born a commoner but was given the title
Nurse of the Pharaoh's Great Wife.[8] If she were the mother
of Nefertiti she would be expected to have the royal title
Mother of the Pharaoh's Great Wife instead, so if Ay was the
father of Nefertiti, then Tey would have been her
stepmother.[8] In several Amarna tomb chapels there is a
woman whose name began with "Mut" who had the title Sister
of the Pharaoh's Great Wife. This could also be a daughter
of Ay's by his wife Tey, and it is known that his successor
Horemheb married a woman with the name Mutnodjimet.[11]...
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