Origins & Early Life

Ay was the penultimate pharaoh of ancient Egypt's 18th Dynasty. He reigned for about four years in the late 14th century BC. Before becoming king, he was a prominent official and close advisor during the late 18th Dynasty. Following Tutankhamun's death, Ay succeeded him as pharaoh.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

His prenomen Kheperkheperure means "Everlasting are the Manifestations of Ra", while his nomen Ay it-netjer reads as "Ay, Father of the God". His successor, Horemheb, later erased and usurped monuments associated with Ay, part of a campaign of damnatio memoriae against him and the other pharaohs associated with the Amarna Period. Ay is believed to have been from Akhmim. During his short reign, he built a rock-cut chapel in Akhmim and dedicated it to the local deity Min. He may have been the son of the courtier Yuya and his wife Thuya, making him a brother of Tiye and Anen.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

This connection is based on the fact that both Yuya and Ay came from Akhmim and held the titles 'God's Father' and 'Master of Horses'. A strong physical resemblance has been noted between the mummy of Yuya and surviving statuary depictions of Ay. The mummy of Ay has not been located, although fragmentary skeletal...

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