100px, Statue of May, Egyptian Museum in Berlin May was an

ancient Egypt Ancient Egypt () was a cradle of civilization concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in Northeast Africa. It emerged from prehistoric Egypt around 3150BC (according to conventional Egyptian chronology), when Upper and Lower E ...

ian official of the

New Kingdom New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...

who was in office under Pharaoh

Thutmose III Thutmose III (variously also spelt Tuthmosis or Thothmes), sometimes called Thutmose the Great, (1479–1425 BC) was the fifth pharaoh of the 18th Dynasty of Egypt. He is regarded as one of the greatest warriors, military commanders, and milita ...

. May is known from his tomb in Qaw el-Kebir and from one, perhaps two, statues. He bears the titles ''mayor'' and ''overseer of priest'' and was therefore most likely the local governor at Qaw el-Kebir, ancient

Tjebu Qaw el-Kebir () or El Etmannyieh () is a village in the Asyut Governorate of Egypt. An old settlement, it was known in Ancient Egypt as Tjebu or Tkow (, ). In Greek and Roman Egypt, its name was Antaeopolis () after its tutelary deity, the war go ...

. The tomb of May was excavated at Qaw el-Kebir. It has several underground chambers. Here were also found the fragments of his

sarcophagus A sarcophagus (: sarcophagi or sarcophaguses) is a coffin, most commonly carved in stone, and usually displayed above ground, though it may also be buried. The word ''sarcophagus'' comes from the Greek language, Greek wikt:σάρξ, σάρξ ...

, that was smashed into pieces. The sarcophagus was decorated on the inside and on the outside, providing the names and titles of May. There is a statue of May in the

Egyptian Museum The Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, commonly known as the Egyptian Museum (, Egyptian Arabic: ) (also called the Cairo Museum), located in Cairo, Egypt, houses the largest collection of Ancient Egypt, Egyptian antiquities in the world. It hou ...

in Berlin, which shows him sitting on a chair. The inscriptions provide his name and titles. On the statue appears also the name of king Thutmosis III, providing a precise dating. Around the neck of the statue, he wears the gold of honor. He must have received it from the king. A second statue now in the

Luxor Museum Luxor Museum is an archaeological museum in Luxor (ancient Thebes), Egypt. It stands on the corniche, overlooking the east bank of the River Nile. Establishment The Luxor Museum was inaugurated in 1975. It is a two-story building. The range of ...

is very close in style and also shows an official with the gold of honor. The statue is not inscribed but might depict May as well.Azzam, Laila M. ''Another statue of the mayor May, Luxor Museum J. 1.'' In: Khaled Abdalla Daoud (Hrsg.): ''Studies in honor of Ali Radwan''. ''Annales du service des antiquités de l'Égypte. (ASAE)'' Supplément 34). Volume 1. Conseil Suprême des Antiquités de l'Égypte, Kairo 2005, {{ISBN, 977-305-826-3, pp. 165–167.

References

15th-century BC clergy Officials of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt