149: The King's Men

Maya, Ay, Horemheb, and others. The men who served King Tut'ankhamun were unusually prominent and powerful. The Overseer of the Treasury (Maya), the Supreme General (Horemheb) and the highest courtier (Ay) may have divided power among themselves. Why were they so powerful? The youth of Tut'ankhamun, and developments in royal power since the reign of Akhenaten, may have weakened the authority or influence of the individual ruler. This was the next phase in an ongoing trend, as the power of the pharaohs evolved over time... Epilogue: We meet the King's servants, including his personal scribe (Iny); his personal driver (Per-aa-neheh); and the chief manager of the palaces (Ipy). Episode details: Date: c. 1334 BCE. King: Neb-kheperu-Ra Tut-ankh-Amun. Website: www.egyptianhistorypodcast.com. Support the show via Patreon www.patreon.com/egyptpodcast. Make a one-time donation via PayPal payments. Logo: Statue of Horemheb, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Music by Keith Zizza https://www.keithzizza.net/. Music by Ancient Lyric http://www.bettinajoydeguzman.com/. Sound interludes by Luke Chaos https://twitter.com/Luke_Chaos. Audio mixing/editing by Vincent Cavanagh. Hear additional music on my Spotify Playlist. Website www.egyptianhistorypodcast.com. Facebook www.facebook.com/egyptpodcast. Twitter www.twitter.com/egyptianpodcast. See other shows from the Agora Podcast Network. The History of Egypt Podcast endorses RA EGYPTIAN, the clean, natural skincare line with products derived from ancient Egyptian sources. Use the checkout code EGYPT to enjoy 30% off your order. Select Bibliography: A. Dodson, Amarna Sunset: Nefertiti, Tutankhamun, Ay, Horemheb, and the Egyptian Counter-Reformation (2nd edn, Cairo, 2017). A. M. Gnirs, Militär und Gesellschaft: Ein Beitrag zur Sozialgeschichte des Neuen Reiches (Heidelberg, 1996). N. Kawai, ‘Studies in the Reign of Tutankhamun’, Unpublished PhD. Thesis, Johns Hopkins University (2005). G. T. Martin, The Tomb of Maya and Meryt I: The Reliefs, Inscriptions, and Commentary (EES Excavation Memoir 99; London, 2012). G. T. Martin, The Memphite Tomb of Ḥoremḥeb, Commander-in-Chief of Tutʻankhamūn, 1 (London, 1989). G. T. Martin, The Hidden Tombs of Memphis: New Discoveries From the Time of Tutankhamun and Ramesses the Great (London, 1991). O. Schaden, ‘The God’s Father Ay’, PhD Thesis, University of Minnesota (1977). A. R. Schulman, ‘Military Rank, Title, and Organization in the Egyptian New Kingdom’, Unpublished PhD. Thesis, University of Pennsylvania (1962). J. J. Shirley, ‘Crisis And Restructuring Of The State: From The Second Intermediate Period To The Advent Of The Ramesses’, in J. C. Moreno García (ed.), Ancient Egyptian Administration (Leiden, 2013), 521—606. A. J. Spalinger, War in Ancient Egypt: The New Kingdom (Malden, 2005). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices