AYA(2), a master of the horse in THEBES, was chosen
to succeed Tut’ankhamun. As the royal widow, Ank-
hesenamon was given to him as his bride. Some ques-
tion has been raised as to the possibility that Aya was
the father of Nefertiti, which would have made him
Ankhesenamon’s grandfather. The couple assumed the
throne before the burial of Tut’ankhamun, thus perform-
ing the required ritual that each successor had to pro-
vide for the deceased pharaoh in the tomb. Aya died in
1319 B.C.E., but Ankhesenamon disappeared from the
scene before that, giving way to Aya’s wife, TEY, also a
commoner.
Ankhesneferibré(fl. sixth century B.C.E.)Royal woman
of the Twenty-sixth Dynasty, a God’s Wife of Amun
She was a daughter of PSAMMETICHUS II (r. 595–589
B.C.E.) and Queen TAKHAT(3) adopted by the Divine Ado-
ratrice Nitocris and succeeding her as the GOD’S WIFE OF
AMUNin Thebes. Ankhesneferibré served in the office for
almost 60 years. Her SARCOPHAGUS, made of basalt, is
now in the British Museum in London. A schist statuette
of her was also recovered in KARNAK.
Ankh-Hor(fl. sixth century B.C.E.) Vizier and temple
official of the Twenty-sixth Dynasty
He served PSAMMETICHUS II(r. 595–589 B.C.E.) as the
VIZIERof Upper Egypt, the overseer of the priests of
AMUN, the mayor of MEMPHIS, and the stewardof the
Divine Adoratrice NITOCRIS (2).Ankh-Hor also served
APRIES(r. 589–570 B.C.E.). His tomb at DRA-ABÚ EL-NAGA
in Thebes is large. The tomb contains PYLONS, courts, pil-
lared halls, and subterranean burial chambers.
Ankhkhaf(fl. 26th centuryB.C.E.)Princely vizier of the
Fourth Dynasty
Hewas a son of SNEFRU(r. 2575–2551 B.C.E.), serving the
royal family as a VIZIER. This royal line maintained con-
trol by using only family members in high positions of
trust and authority. Ankhkhaf’s statue, actually a bust of
exquisite artistry, is in the Museum of Fine Arts in
Boston. He married HETEPHERES(2) and predeceased her.
His tomb was the largest MASTABAin the eastern cemetery
in GIZA.
Ankh-ma-hor (Sheshi)(fl. 23rd century B.C.E.)Medi-
cal official of the Sixth Dynasty, noted for his tomb in
Saqqara
Ankh-ma-hor was a VIZIERand physician in the court of
PEPI II(r. 2246–2152 B.C.E.). He was buried in SAQQARAin
a site called “the street of tombs,” and his gravesite is
called “the Doctor’s Tomb” because of the medical scenes
painted on its walls. The tomb has six chambers, includ-
ing a SERDAB, a room designed to allow a statue of the
deceased to watch the daily rituals being offered on his or
her behalf. Portraits of Ankh-ma-hor and scenes, includ-
ing animals and daily activities, are also present. In some
records he is listed as Sheshi.Ankhnesmery-Ré (1)(fl. 23rd century B.C.E.) Royal
woman of the Sixth Dynasty
She was a consort of PEPI I(r. 2289–2255 B.C.E.). The
daughter of an official named Khui, and the sister of
Djau and ANKHNESMERY-RÉ(2), she became the mother of
MERENRÉ. Ankhnesmery-Ré is reported as having died
giving birth to this son or dying soon afterward. She
was also the mother of Princess NEITH(2) who married
PEPI II.Ankhnesmery-Ré (2)(fl. 23rd century B.C.E.) Royal
woman of the Sixth Dynasty
She was a consort of PEPI I(r. 2289–2255 B.C.E.). The
daughter of an official named Khui, and the sister of Djau
and ANKHNESMERY-RÉ(1), she became the mother of PEPI
II. When the young Pepi II succeeded his brother
MERENRÉ(I), Ankhnesmery-Ré served as regent for her
child. She was aided by Djau, her brother, who served as
VIZIERduring the regency. They raised the young heir and
kept Egypt stable until he reached his majority. The story
of the two sisters Ankhnesmery-Ré was discovered on a
tablet in ABYDOS.Ankhnes-Pepi(fl. 22nd century B.C.E.)Royal woman of
the Sixth Dynasty
She was a lesser consort of PEPI II(r. 2246–2152 B.C.E.).
Ankhnes-Pepi lived to see her son or grandson, NEFER-
KURÉ, become the founder of the Eighth Dynasty in 2150
B.C.E. She was buried in a storage chamber and entombed
in a sarcophagus borrowed for the occasion from a family
friend who had prepared it for his own funeral. Her
remains were placed in SAQQARA, in the tomb pyramid of
Queen IPUT(2). The tomb of Ankhnes-Pepi was formed
by adding a FALSE DOORto the original burial chamber
area of Iput.Ankhsheshongy(fl. first centuryB.C.E.)Egyptian sage
who wrote his Instructions c. 100 B.C.E.
Preserved on papyrus, this literary work is written in the
demotic style and discusses the moral precepts of the age.
Traditionally it is believed that Ankhsheshongy wrote his
Instructionswhile in prison for some crime, c. 100 B.C.E.
This didactic text was popular, as it echoed the centuries’
old spirit of the traditional aspirations of the Egyptians in
a period of Greek dominance and Hellenic literaryforms.Ankh-tawy The ancient name for the city of MEMPHIS
or part of its environs, meaning “Life of the Two Lands.”
The city’s name was changed to Men-nefer-Maré in the
Sixth Dynasty in the reign of PEPI I(r. 2289–2255 B.C.E.).Ankh-tawy 39