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Maya was an important figure during the reign of
Pharaoh Pharaoh (, ; Egyptian language, Egyptian: ''wikt:pr ꜥꜣ, pr ꜥꜣ''; Meroitic language, Meroitic: 𐦲𐦤𐦧, ; Biblical Hebrew: ''Parʿō'') was the title of the monarch of ancient Egypt from the First Dynasty of Egypt, First Dynasty ( ...
s
Tutankhamun Tutankhamun or Tutankhamen, (; ), was an Egyptian pharaoh who ruled during the late Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt, Eighteenth Dynasty of ancient Egypt. Born Tutankhaten, he instituted the restoration of the traditional polytheistic form of an ...
, Ay and
Horemheb Horemheb, also spelled Horemhab, Haremheb or Haremhab (, meaning "Horus is in Jubilation"), was the last pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt, 18th Dynasty of Egypt (1550–1292 BC). He ruled for at least 14 years between 1319  ...
of the
Eighteenth Dynasty The Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt (notated Dynasty XVIII, alternatively 18th Dynasty or Dynasty 18) is classified as the first dynasty of the New Kingdom of Egypt, the era in which ancient Egypt achieved the peak of its power. The Eighteenth Dynasty ...
of
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 ...
. Maya's titles include:
Fan-bearer on the Right Side of the King The Fan-bearer on the Right Side of the King – sometimes also translated as ''Fanbearer on the King's Right Hand'' – was an office or title given to ancient Egyptian courtiers. The title implies a very close personal or official rel ...
,
Overseer of the treasuries The overseer of the treasuries (alternative translation: overseer of the two treasuries; ) was a title and important role in the ancient Egyptian court of the Old Kingdom of Egypt, Old and New Kingdom of Egypt, New Kingdom. The title is also atte ...
, chief of the works in the necropolis, and leader of the festival of
Amun Amun was a major ancient Egyptian deity who appears as a member of the Hermopolitan Ogdoad. Amun was attested from the Old Kingdom together with his wife Amunet. His oracle in Siwa Oasis, located in Western Egypt near the Libyan Desert, r ...
in Karnak.


Biography

Maya was the son of a magistrate named Iuy and his wife Weret. He had a half-brother named Nahuher who is shown officiating in his tomb in
Saqqara Saqqara ( : saqqāra ), also spelled Sakkara or Saccara in English , is an Egyptian village in the markaz (county) of Badrashin in the Giza Governorate, that contains ancient burial grounds of Egyptian royalty, serving as the necropolis for ...
. Maya was married to a woman named Meryt, and they had two daughters named Mayamenti and Tjauenmaya.Saqqara.nl
Tomb of Maya & Merit (found in 1986)
The early years of Maya's life and career are not well known. It is possible that Maya started his career during the reign of
Amenhotep III Amenhotep III ( , ; "Amun is satisfied"), also known as Amenhotep the Magnificent or Amenhotep the Great and Hellenization, Hellenized as Amenophis III, was the ninth pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt, Eighteenth Dynasty. According to d ...
. He may be the same person as a royal scribe named Maya who is attested in
Malkata Malkata (or Malqata; ), is the site of an Ancient Egyptian palace complex built during the New Kingdom, by the 18th Dynasty pharaoh Amenhotep III. It is located on the West Bank of the Nile at Thebes, Upper Egypt, in the desert to the south of ...
in year 34. He may also be the same person as a courtier named May known from a tomb in
Amarna Amarna (; ) is an extensive ancient Egyptian archaeological site containing the ruins of Akhetaten, the capital city during the late Eighteenth Dynasty. The city was established in 1346 BC, built at the direction of the Pharaoh Akhenaten, and a ...
during the reign of
Akhenaten Akhenaten (pronounced ), also spelled Akhenaton or Echnaton ( ''ʾŪḫə-nə-yātəy'', , meaning 'Effective for the Aten'), was an ancient Egyptian pharaoh reigning or 1351–1334 BC, the tenth ruler of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt, Eig ...
. The May from Amarna shares some of the titles with Maya, but he was not a treasurer. Maya is well known from the reign of Tutankhamen however. As the
Overseer of the treasuries The overseer of the treasuries (alternative translation: overseer of the two treasuries; ) was a title and important role in the ancient Egyptian court of the Old Kingdom of Egypt, Old and New Kingdom of Egypt, New Kingdom. The title is also atte ...
, he was also an important official and was noted for restoring the burials of several earlier Pharaohs in the Royal Necropolis in the years following the deaths of Tutankhamun and Ay. It is possible that he personally left a hand written text in the tomb of
Thutmose IV Thutmose IV (sometimes read as Thutmosis or Tuthmosis IV, Thothmes in older history works in Latinized Greek; Ancient Egyptian: ''ḏḥwti.msi(.w)'' "Thoth is born") was the 8th Pharaoh of the 18th Dynasty of Egypt, who ruled in approximately t ...
stating that he had been charged with the restoration of the burial of the king. Maya would have reported to the
vizier A vizier (; ; ) is a high-ranking political advisor or Minister (government), minister in the Near East. The Abbasids, Abbasid caliphs gave the title ''wazir'' to a minister formerly called ''katib'' (secretary), who was at first merely a help ...
of
Lower Egypt Lower Egypt ( ') is the northernmost region of Egypt, which consists of the fertile Nile Delta between Upper Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea, from El Aiyat, south of modern-day Cairo, and Dahshur. Historically, the Nile River split into sev ...
, who was based in
Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Mem ...
. Maya collected taxes and performed other services for these pharaohs, including supervising the preparation of their
tomb A tomb ( ''tumbos'') or sepulchre () is a repository for the remains of the dead. It is generally any structurally enclosed interment space or burial chamber, of varying sizes. Placing a corpse into a tomb can be called '' immurement'', alth ...
s. Maya contributed an
Ushabti The ushabti (also called shabti or shawabti, with a number of variant spellings) was a funerary figurine used in ancient Egyptian funerary practices. The Egyptological term is derived from , which replaced earlier , perhaps the nisba of " ...
to the funerary furnishings for King
Tutankhamun Tutankhamun or Tutankhamen, (; ), was an Egyptian pharaoh who ruled during the late Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt, Eighteenth Dynasty of ancient Egypt. Born Tutankhaten, he instituted the restoration of the traditional polytheistic form of an ...
. He also presented the king with a figure of the King in the guise of the god
Osiris Osiris (, from Egyptian ''wikt:wsjr, wsjr'') was the ancient Egyptian deities, god of fertility, agriculture, the Ancient Egyptian religion#Afterlife, afterlife, the dead, resurrection, life, and vegetation in ancient Egyptian religion. He was ...
. Both items were inscribed and recorded that Maya was the donor of the statues.Dodson, Aidan (2009). ''Amarna Sunset: Nefertiti, Tutankhamun, Ay, Horemheb and the Egyptian Counter-Reformation''. AUC Press. Meryt, Maya's wife, is known to have died before her husband since her funeral was performed by Nahuher, Maya's half-brother. Maya is known to have lived until at least Year 8 of
Horemheb Horemheb, also spelled Horemhab, Haremheb or Haremhab (, meaning "Horus is in Jubilation"), was the last pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt, 18th Dynasty of Egypt (1550–1292 BC). He ruled for at least 14 years between 1319  ...
when an inscription mentions he was charged with tax collection for the entire country and organizing offerings for the gods. He is also depicted in TT50, the tomb of a divine father of
Amun Amun was a major ancient Egyptian deity who appears as a member of the Hermopolitan Ogdoad. Amun was attested from the Old Kingdom together with his wife Amunet. His oracle in Siwa Oasis, located in Western Egypt near the Libyan Desert, r ...
named Neferhotep. Maya is depicted between King Horemheb and the viziers showing his close relation to the king. Maya is believed to have died in Year 9 of
Horemheb Horemheb, also spelled Horemhab, Haremheb or Haremhab (, meaning "Horus is in Jubilation"), was the last pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt, 18th Dynasty of Egypt (1550–1292 BC). He ruled for at least 14 years between 1319  ...
.


Titles

Maya held many prestigious titles in his lifetime; which were recorded in his tomb


Administrative titles

* ''Overseer of the Treasury of the Lord of the Two Lands'' * ''Overseer of the Treasury of Silver and Gold'' * ''Overseer of the Double Treasury of Gold'' * ''Overseer of the Double Treasury of Silver''


Religious Titles

* ''Guardian of the secrets of the House of Gold in the temples of all gods'' * ''He who leads the procession'' * ''He who leads the feast of Amon'' * ''Guide to the feast of Amon in Karnak''


appellation titles

* ''Loved by the Lord of The Two Lands'' * ''One that the Lord of The Two Lands loves because of his virtues'' * '' eWho does what pleases his majesty'' * ''Who does what pleases the Lord of the Two Lands'' * ''(He) whose every act satisfies the One (the king)'' * ''(His) conduct is beneficial in his heart (the king)'' * ''(He) whose ka was shaped by the Lord of the Two Lands'' * ''Great in the Palace'' * ''Great in his dignity'' * ''pleasant (in) the heart of the sovereign''


Tomb and burial

Maya's own tomb at
Saqqara Saqqara ( : saqqāra ), also spelled Sakkara or Saccara in English , is an Egyptian village in the markaz (county) of Badrashin in the Giza Governorate, that contains ancient burial grounds of Egyptian royalty, serving as the necropolis for ...
was initially partly excavated in 1843 by the
archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...
Karl Richard Lepsius Karl Richard Lepsius (; 23 December 181010 July 1884) was a German people, Prussian Egyptology, Egyptologist, Linguistics, linguist and modern archaeology, modern archaeologist. He is widely known for his opus magnum ''Denkmäler aus Ägypten ...
,Martin, Geoffrey T. (1991). ''The Hidden Tombs of Memphis.'' Thames & Hudson, . pp.147-188 and its impressive reliefs were recorded in sketches and some of them brought to Berlin. Over time, however, the tomb was covered by sand, and its location was lost. In 1975, a joint expedition of archaeologists from the
Egypt Exploration Society The Egypt Exploration Society (EES) is a British non-profit organization founded in 1882 for the purpose of financing and facilitating the exploration of significant archeological sites in Egypt and Sudan, founded by writer Amelia Edwards and coin ...
in London and the
Rijksmuseum van Oudheden The (English language, English: National Museum of Antiquities) is the national archaeology, archaeological museum of the Netherlands, located in Leiden. It grew out of the collection of Leiden University and still closely co-operates with ...
in Leiden, Netherlands began a quest to rediscover the tomb, and on 6 February 1986, they finally succeeded.Hobson, Christine (1987). ''Exploring the World of the Pharaohs: A Complete Guide to Ancient Egypt.'' Thames & Hudson. p. 115. On this date, Professor Geoffrey T. Martin together with Dr. Jacobus Van Dijk representing the Leiden museum discovered the burial chamber of Maya's subterranean tomb at Saqqara some 18 metres (60 feet) below the surface. As Martin states: : We were in total darkness for about 15 minutes...Suddenly we glimpsed wonderful reliefs and were extremely startled to find ourselves in the antechamber leading to a burial chamber. My colleague looked across at an inscribed wall and said, 'My God, it's Maya. The first full season's work on Maya's burial in early 1987 indicated that his tomb is "a slightly smaller and abbreviated version of Horemheb's
Saqqara Saqqara ( : saqqāra ), also spelled Sakkara or Saccara in English , is an Egyptian village in the markaz (county) of Badrashin in the Giza Governorate, that contains ancient burial grounds of Egyptian royalty, serving as the necropolis for ...
tomb. An open courtyard has a collanade on its west side and doors leading to three vaulted ceilings. An inner courtyard has been found to contain reliefs of very fine quality and a statue of Maya and his wife." The underground burial chambers were paved with limestone and decorated with reliefs showing Maya and his wife in front of gods. Maya and Meryt's tomb was excavated between 1986 and 1991 and lies parallel to Horemheb and
Tia TIA most commonly refers to the transient ischemic attack, a "mini-stroke". TIA or Tia may also refer to: People * Tia (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or surname * TiA, stage name of a female ...
's Saqqara tombs. It is almost 44 metres long and 16.5 metres wide and features "a pylon, outer courtyard, statue chamber flanked by two storerooms, inner courtyard, and three offering chapels in the west wide." Maya's tomb was unfinished: the outer courtyard featured columns along the west side only, a mud floor instead of proper pavement, and no reliefs while its pylon was built in mudbrick only, and not revetted in limestone like Horemheb's tomb. Maya's tomb-shaft opens in the inner courtyard and is about 10 metres deep. From one of the six chambers at that level, a second shaft and stairway give access to a lower complex, situated at a depth of almost 22 metres which comprises three chambers featuring reliefs depicting Maya and Meryt adoring the gods of the hereafter. Both their figures and texts were painted yellow, with some details in blue and black. While tomb robbers had looted most of the valuables, numerous remaining fragments of coffins, furniture, jewellery, etc. gives an impression of the wealth of Maya's burial.


Statues of Maya and Meryt

The three statues of Maya and his wife Merit have been put on display in the National Museum of AntiquitiesRijksmuseum van Oudheden
Statue of Maya and Merit
retrieved 27 April 2017
in
Leiden Leiden ( ; ; in English language, English and Archaism, archaic Dutch language, Dutch also Leyden) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Provinces of the Nethe ...
,
Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
since 1823. Recently, the pair has been lent to
The Archeological Civic Museum (MCA) of Bologna The Archaeological Civic Museum of Bologna () is located in the fifteenth-century Palazzo Galvani building at Via dell'Archiginnasio 2 postal code 40124 Bologna, once known as ''the Hospital of Death''. Founded in September 1881 by the merging o ...
from 17 October 2015 to 17 July 2016.


References


Further reading

* * David, Ann Rosalie (2000). ''The Experience of Ancient Egypt.'' Routledge. pp. 107ff. {{coord, 29, 51, 59, N, 31, 13, 01, E, source:kolossus-huwiki, display=title Officials of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt 14th-century BC Egyptian people Overseer of the treasury Fan-bearer on the Right Side of the King