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Sunday, October 10, 2010

Yuya a Syrian


Johnny Zwick, President of the California Institute for Ancient Studies, wrote:

I have been working some more on the EA [El-Amarna] period, in particular the Ben Hadad/Ashurnasirpal connection and that of Yuya, Thuya and Tiye, etc. I have been identifying the hieroglyphics on the blue-rimmed ware found probably by Edward Ayrton in KV 46 and published in PSBA in 1913, where we have "written" documentation that Yuya was a Prince of Zahi. I identified the hieroglyphics which make up the word for `Tjaheh', `Zahi' and in the days of Ramses III and in the Papyrus Harris that word appears in connection with Syrian affairs. So, it seems to me rather conclusive that Yuya was a Syrian prince. Now, that Yuya was buried in KV 46, after Tiye had his body transferred to Egypt, mummified and interred, must mean that his wife Thuya accompanied him, and when she died she was buried in the same tomb with him.

Looking at the time line, I shortened the reign of Amenhotep II, moved Amenhotep III up to start his reign by 892 BC till 861, then Akhnaton 861-844, etc. That way Tiye, if she was born by 908 BC, she was ca. 16 when Amenhotep III married her. Then Nefertiti, if she was born ca. 890 BC, married Ahab by 874/74 and next Akhnaton by 861, then she was at that time 29 yrs of age. Since she had children, it helps to have her as young as feaseable.

That little platter described in 1913 is truly a great help. We may regard it as found and described in an age where today's prejudices were not yet as they are now. I think it ranks with the Canopus Decree, Necharomes, Jerusalem in the EA letters and such "written" evidences. It does a wonderful job to align Tiye, Amenhotep III, Thuya and Yuya, Nefertiti, Ahab and Akhnaton.

It is of some importance that the age of the women are properly aligned to have them married at a child bearing age.

I published the reports of Edward Ayrton that he wrote around 1905. He mentions a glazed item. The platter is glazed and might have gotten out of the tomb in someone's possession, or else photographed or drawn from where it found its way to someone in the US to write up that brief report in 1913, so we can have it today.

No one regarded as of any importance, but if Yuya was of Syria, that is important for us.

Best regards
Johnny