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Volume 8 issue 5 April 2008

ANCIENT EGYPT explores the WORLD WIDE WEB ...

THE END OF THE AMARNA PERIOD

This month’s NETFISHING continues its look at the history of Egypt by seeing what the World Wide Web has to say about the end of the Amarna Period, when Tutankhamun died and his place was taken by Ay and Horemheb.

The unexpected death of the young Tutankhamun must have caused consternation among the bureaucracy of Egypt. Almost all of his male relatives were dead, and there was no obvious candidate to assume the throne. The only male relative to be found was Ay (the probable father of Nefertiti) who was by this time an old man (by Egyptian standards). Refer:

Death of Tutankhamun/outline:

http://www.angelfire.com/realm2/amethystbt/Etuttomb.html

King Ay:

 www.touregypt.net/featurestories/ay.htm

Ankhesenamun, the young widow of Tutankhamun, was duly informed that she was to marry Ay to strengthen his somewhat tenuous claim to the throne – but the idea of marrying her own maternal grandfather was far from acceptable to the young woman and so she plotted to marry another. In secret she sent letters to Suppiluliumas I, the king of the Hittites, saying, “Send me a son, for they say you have many sons. Send me a son and I will marry him and make him king of Egypt.” To Suppiluliumas, such a letter must have seemed too good to be true, especially as the Hittite Empire was in conflict with the Egyptians over the provinces in the Eastern Mediterranean. In desperation, the Queen sent a second letter. Now she was believed, and a Hittite Prince, Zannanza, was duly dispatched to wed her and assume the throne of Egypt. Refer:

Outline:

www.diggingsonline.com/pages/rese/magaz1ne/samp27.htm

Ankhesenamun:

www.angelfire.com/art/ankhes/ankh2.html

The Hittite letters:

www.angelfire.com/art/ankhes/letters.html

www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Alley/4482/Ay.html

Suppiluliumas was not to gain control of the Egyptian throne, however, as the Egyptian Secret Service had intercepted the letters and had learnt of Ankhesenamun’s treachery. The young Prince Zannanza and his entourage were assassinated as they crossed the border into Egyptian territory. Thus the young Ankhesenamun was forced to go through with the marriage to her grandfather Ay (as is shown by two rings inscribed with their joint names, one of which is now in Berlin Museum).

After the marriage, Ankhesenamun is never mentioned again (was there a trial for treason?) for Ay mentions only his second wife, Tey, in his tomb. Ay’s burial place is a matter of interest, for he was an elderly man and clearly realised that he did not have the time to construct a large tomb in the Valley of the Kings.

The solution was simple, however. The half-finished royal tomb cut for Tutankhamun in the West Valley (KV23) was taken over by Ay and the young ‘boy king’ was buried in a small, but vacant, non-royal tomb in the main Valley of the Kings (KV62). Ay performed the funeral service for Tutankhamun, and by this action, by burying his predecessor, further strengthened his claim to the throne. Refer:

KV23

www.thebanmappingproject.com/sites/browse_tomb_837.html

www.touregypt.net/featurestories/ayt.htm

KV62

www.thebanmappingproject.com/sites/browse_tomb_876.html

www.touregypt.net/featurestories/tutt.htm

Ay, therefore, became King of Egypt, but his reign lasted for some four years only before he died, and was succeeded by King Horemheb. Ay was buried in the still largely unfinished tomb KV23 in the West Valley, the chariot hall of which was hastily converted into a burial chamber for the last of the Amarna kings.

General Horemheb had married Mutnodjmet, the daughter of King Ay, and so was well placed to become the next king: he was in control of the army and had a direct family link with the Egyptian royal family by marriage, being son-in-law to Ay. Refer:

http://touregypt.net/featurestories/horemheb.htm

King Horemheb seems to have been determined to put the ‘Amarna interlude’ behind him. He usurped the monuments of both Ay and Tutankhamun and dated his reign from the death of Amenhotep III – thus removing the Amarna kings from the king lists altogether. He continued the restoration and reopening of the temples, returning the old gods to their former position. But he was not so foolish as to give all the priesthood their jobs back. Many of the highest positions in the priesthood were now allocated to army officers. Horemheb knew whom he could trust and was determined to be in control. The future of Egypt looked assured.

Victor Blunden

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