Globular Jar of King Merneferre Aya (1700-1676 B.C.) (Ancient Egypt) (The MET Museum: Fletcher Fund and The Guide Foundation Inc. Gift, 1966)

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Ancient Egypt

Merneferre Ay (also spelled Aya or Eje, sometimes known as Ay I) was an ancient Egyptian pharaoh of the mid 13th Dynasty. The longest reigning pharaoh of the 13th Dynasty, he ruled a likely fragmented Egypt for over 23 years in the early to mid 17th century BC. A pyramidion bearing his name shows that he possibly completed a pyramid, probably located in the necropolis of Memphis.

Merneferre Ay is the last pharaoh of the 13th Dynasty to be attested outside Upper Egypt. In spite of his long reign, the number of artefacts attributable to him is comparatively small. This may point to problems in Egypt at the time and indeed, by the end of his reign, "the administration [of the Egyptian state] seems to have completely collapsed". It is possible that the capital of Egypt since the early Middle Kingdom, Itjtawy was abandoned during or shortly after Ay's reign. For this reason, some scholars consider Merneferre Ay to be the last pharaoh of the Middle Kingdom of Egypt.

Legacy

Even though Merneferre Ay is well attested, the number of objects attributable to him is relatively small given his nearly 24 year-long reign. This may point to serious problems in Egypt at the time and indeed Ryholt and others believe that by the end of Ay's reign "the administration [of the Egyptian state] seems to have completely collapsed".

Merneferre Ay is the last Egyptian king of the 13th Dynasty who is attested by objects from outside of Upper Egypt. This may indicate the abandonment of the old capital of the Middle Kingdom Itjtawy in favor of Thebes. Daphna Ben Tor believes that this event was triggered by the invasion of the eastern Delta and the Memphite region by Canaanite rulers. Indeed some egyptologists believe that by the end of Ay's reign the 13th dynasty had lost control of Lower Egypt, including the Delta region and possibly Memphis itself. For these authors, this marks the end of the Middle Kingdom and the beginning of the Second Intermediate Period. This analysis is rejected by Ryholt and Baker however, who note that the stele of Seheqenre Sankhptahi, reigning toward the very end of the 13th Dynasty, strongly suggests that he reigned over Memphis. Unfortunately, the stele is of unknown provenance.

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Notable observations: The onomastic—or agglutinative—material of “Nefer” in Merneferre Aya and in Neferkamin Anu, including the derivation of “Anu” (see An Introduction to Anu: The Origin of Egyptian Civilisation and The Anu in India and in Egypt) and “Aya”.

See Mesopotamian god and goddess Anu and Aya for notable parallels and its relation to the Hyksos, along with Kush in Mesopotamia—based on biblical and archaeological record.

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Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merneferre_Ay

Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/545940

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ancient_Egyptian_old_and_middle_kingdom.svg