Aÿ was the penultimate pharaoh of the XVIIIe egyptian dynasty, reigning from 1323 to 1319 BC. His reign was brief and was part of a period of transition marked by the end of the reign of Tutankhamun and the return to the old order after the religious and cultural upheavals caused by Akhenaten.
Ascension to the throne
Aÿ was an Egyptian nobleman and member of the court of Tutankhamun. He served as advisor and tutor to the young pharaoh, as well as high priest ofAmun. At the death of Tutankhamun, Aÿ married the widow of the deceased pharaoh, Ânkhésenamon, to legitimize his accession to the throne.
Religious policy and restoration of cults
Under the reign of Aÿ, Egypt continued the return to the old order initiated by Tutankhamun. Aÿ restores the cults of the ancient Egyptian gods, in particular that ofAmun, and undertook the restoration of temples and monuments neglected or damaged during the Amarna period.
Buildings and monuments
Aÿ was an active builder despite the brevity of his reign. In particular, he commissioned the production of decorative scenes at the temple ofAmun in Luxor and Karnak. His own tomb, KV23, is in the Valley of the Kings, not far from that of Tutankhamun.
Succession and inheritance
Aÿ had no children and the royal succession was ensured by Horemheb, who was then a general and commander-in-chief of the Egyptian armies. Ay's reign is often seen as a period of transition, between the end of the Amarna Revolution and the full restoration of the old order under Horemheb. Although his reign was short, Aÿ played an important role in helping to stabilize Egypt after the upheavals of the Amarna period.
📋 LIST OF EGYPTIAN SOVEREIGNS 📋
Hotepsekhemwey / Sneferka / Nebra / ninetjer / Senedj / Noubnefer / Horus Ba / Peribsen / Sekhemib / Khasekhemwy / Neferkasokar / | |||
Djoser / Sanakht / Sekhemkhet / Spoon / Huni | |||
Sekhemre-Khutaouy Amenemhat-/Sobekhotep I/Sekhemkare Amenemhat-Senbef/Sekhemkare Amenemhat V/Ameny-Qemaou/Hotepibre Qémaou-Sa-Hornejhéritef/Ioufeni/Séânkhibrê Amény-Antef-Amenemhat (or Amenemhat VI)/Semenkarê Nebnoun/Sehotepibrê Sousekhtaouy | |||
Sekhaenre Yakbim/Nebuuserre Yaammou/Khauserre Qareh | |||
Semqen/Aper-Anat/Sakir-Har/Khyan/Apophis I/Apophis II?/Khamoudy | |||
/Sekhemre-Sementaouy Djehouty/Sekhemre-Sousertaouy Sobekhotep VIII | |||
Twenty-first dynasty | |||
Twenty-second dynasty | |||
Twenty-third dynasty | |||
Twenty-fourth dynasty | |||
1st Persian Dynasty | |||
Thirty-first dynasty (Achaemenid) | 2nd Persian Dynasty | ||