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 the big picture, Ay's influence lasted decades. As a courtier, under Akhenaten and Tutankhamun, Ay participated in government and royal affairs for many years. This means we have abundant records for the man and his career, and Ay contributed to Egyptian history in some noteworthy ways. In this episode, we explore the final years of Ay's reign, and consider his legacy as a pharaoh of ancient Egypt... Episode details: Date: c.1331 / 1330 BCE. Kings: Kheper-kheperu-Ra Ay, “Doer of Ma’at” and “True Ruler.” Logo image: The sarcophagus of Ay, artist’s reconstruction. Prisse D'Avennes, 1878. See photos of Ay’s tomb (WV23) by Kairoinfo4u on Flickr.com. See Ay’s tomb (WV23) by Curtis Ryan Woodside on YouTube. Music: “Memories of Thebes,” by Keith Zizza www.keithzizza.net. Used with permission. Music: “Funeral,” by Bettina Joy de Guzman http://www.bettinajoydeguzman.com. Used with permission. Additional music interludes by Luke Chaos https://twitter.com/Luke_Chaos. Select references A. Dodson, Amarna Sunset: Nefertiti, Tutankhamun, Ay, Horemheb, and the Egyptian Counter-Reformation (2nd edn, 2017). M. Gabolde, Toutankhamon (2015). N. Kawai, ‘Studies in the Reign of Tutankhamun’, Unpublished PhD. Thesis, Johns Hopkins University (2005). R. J. Leprohon, The Great Name: Ancient Egyptian Royal Titulary (2013). W. J. Murnane, Texts from the Amarna Period in Egypt (1995). O. Schaden, ‘The God’s Father Ay’, PhD. Thesis, University of Minnesota (1977). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.