DominicPerry

Mini Episode: Deir el-Amarna

Amarna Tales (Part 01). East of Akhet-Aten (Amarna), a walled-village hides among the hills. A well-ordered, secluded community, this East Village seems to be the home of pharaoh's tomb-builders. Originally…

Mini Episode: Nefertiti and the Wreck of the Uluburun

1334 – 1330 BCE: Ay / Aya (18th Dynasty, Part 10) New Kingdom, Part 3 (139 – 159)

Mini: Nefertiti and the Wreck of the Uluburun

Or, the Life Aquatic with Gold Scarabs Around 1325 BCE (estimates vary) a vessel sank near the cape of Uluburun, Turkey. The cargo was immense: twenty tonnes of goods, including…

Remaster Episode 04b: Buried Pyramids Banner

2700 – 2500 BCE: The Third and Fourth Dynasties Old Kingdom (Episode 1-24)

Remaster 04b: Buried Pyramids

Lost and Found.Following the death of Netjerykhet Djoser (episode 4), Egyptians had achieved something magnificent. The Step Pyramid at Saqqara loomed over the horizon, in a palatial complex that rivalled…

1334 – 1330 BCE: Ay / Aya (18th Dynasty, Part 10) New Kingdom, Part 3 (139 – 159)

159b: Double Death

Criminal Intent. In 1331 BCE (maybe later), King Ay went to his rest. The burial was poor, by the standards of ancient Egyptian pharaohs: a few trinkets, a sarcophagus, and…

1334 – 1330 BCE: Ay / Aya (18th Dynasty, Part 10) New Kingdom, Part 3 (139 – 159)

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…

1334 – 1330 BCE: Ay / Aya (18th Dynasty, Part 10) New Kingdom, Part 3 (139 – 159)

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 this King’s entire career (including…

1334 – 1330 BCE: Ay / Aya (18th Dynasty, Part 10) New Kingdom, Part 3 (139 – 159)

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…

1334 – 1330 BCE: Ay / Aya (18th Dynasty, Part 10) New Kingdom, Part 3 (139 – 159)

157: The 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, new discoveries have…

1334 – 1330 BCE: Ay / Aya (18th Dynasty, Part 10) New Kingdom, Part 3 (139 – 159)

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…

1334 – 1330 BCE: Ay / Aya (18th Dynasty, Part 10) New Kingdom, Part 3 (139 – 159)

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…