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 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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
154: Daḫamunzu (tA-Ḥmt-nsw)
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…
