Awibré Hor(fl. 19th century B.C.E.) Mysterious royal
personage of Egypt in the Twelfth Dynasty
He was possibly the son and heir, perhaps even coregent,
ofAMENEMHET III(r. 1844–1797 B.C.E.). No records of his
coregency survive, but his tomb, located in the funerary
complex of Amenemhet III at DASHUR, contained royal
insignias. A rare wooden statue of this young man was
discovered there, as well as a gilded mask and a sarcopha-
gus, made out of a single square of sandstone. The tomb
of aprincess, NWEBHOTEP-KHRED, is located beside that of
Awibré Hor. She was possibly his consort, as she was
buried wearing a silver crown and a golden URAEUS, the
symbol of the rulers of Egypt. The wooden statues of Hor
depict him as a KA, an astral being that rises at death. He
possibly served as coregent for only seven months.
Axe of Ah’hotep A New Kingdom military emblem
discovered in the tomb of Queen AH’HOTEP (1), the
mother of ’AHMOSE(r. 1550–1525 B.C.E.). The axe sym-
bolized the emblem of honor in MILITARYevents. A com-
mon form of the axe was used in all parades. The blade of
the weapon displays the SPHINX, the Nile, and various
goddesses and is made of copper, gold, semiprecious
stones, and glass paste. This blade was secured to the
handle with leather thongs.
Aya (1) (Merneferré)(d. 1690 B.C.E.)Ruler of the
Thirteenth Dynasty
He reigned from 1704 B.C.E. until his death. His throne
name meant “Beautiful Is The Desire of Ré.” This ruler is
believed to have been a native of AVARISand a vassal of
the HYKSOS, the Asiatics who dominated the northern ter-
ritories at the time. A diorite capstone from his tomb was
found in the eastern Delta, and other monuments were
found throughout the Nile Valley. His tomb, however, is
unidentified. The eastern Delta rebelled at the end of
Aya’s reign.
Aya (2) (Kheperkhepruré)(d. 1319 B.C.E.)Ruler of
the Eighteenth Dynasty
He reigned from 1323 B.C.E. until his death. Aya
ascended the throne upon the death of TUT’ANKHAMUN
and apparently married ANKHESENAMON, the boy king’s
widow. She does not appear after the initial succession
ofAya, however. The queen who is shown in all surviv-
ing texts is TEY, a commoner who had served as a nurse
to NEFERTITIand had married Aya before his accession to
the throne.
Aya, also a commoner, had been the “Master of the
Horse” and Fan Bearer and then vizier and chancellor for
AKHENATEN(r. 1353–1335 B.C.E.) at ’AMARNA, but he fol-
lowed the process of reorganizing the government and
the aggrandizement of the god AMUNduring his brief
reign. His portraits depict a man with a narrow, bony face
and a long, slender nose. Aya erected KARNAK’s colonnade
and a rock-cut shrine at AKHMIN. He built a mortuary
temple at MEDINET HABUin western Thebes but did not
provide himself with a tomb there. In the VALLEY OF THE
KINGSa tomb was decorated for him and for Tey, but his
remains have never been found. His tomb is long and
straight in design, with four corridors. An elaborate pas-
sage leads to a burial chamber, which was decorated with
the text of the AM DUAT.Aya’s burial site included a red
granite sarcophagus. He also had an unfinished tomb in
’Amarna. Aya designated NAKHTMIN(1), possibly a rela-
tive and a military commander, as his heir, but HOREMHAB
put him aside and became the last pharaoh of the
dynasty.Aziru(fl. 14th century B.C.E.) Ruler of Amurru, successor
of Abdiashirta
He had political dealings with AKHENATEN(r. 1353–1335
B.C.E.) and TUT’ANKHAMUN(r. 1333–1323 B.C.E.). Aziru
maintained an alliance with the HITTITES and began
seizing the prosperous port cities on the Mediterran-
ean coast, claiming that his actions were based on Egyp-
tian needs. In time, however, Aziru lost the support of
Egypt and became a vassal of SUPPILULIUMAS Iand the
Hittites.
See also PAWARE.Aziru 61