From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Yuya in hieroglyphs

Yuya (sometimes Iouiya) also known as Yaa, Ya, Yiya, Yayi, Yu, Yuyu, Yaya, Yiay, Yia, Yuy^[1] was a powerful Egyptian courtier of the Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt (circa 1390 BC). He was married to Tjuyu, an Egyptian noblewoman. Their daughter Tiye became the Great Royal Wife of Amenhotep III.^[2] They may also have been the parents of Ay,^[3] an Egyptian courtier active during the reign of pharaoh Akhenaten, and who eventually became pharaoh himself, as Kheperkheprure Ay. However, there is no conclusive evidence regarding the kinship of Yuya and Ay.^[4] Yuya and Tjuyu are also known to have a son named Anen or (Onen).^[5]

Yuya (left), Tjuyu (right). Both were found in the same tomb.

Yuya came from the Upper Egyptian town of Akhmin, where he probably owned an estate and was a member of this town's local nobility. His origins remain unclear. As the study of his mummy showed, Yuya had been a man of taller than average stature, and the anatomist Grafton Elliot Smith considered that his appearance was not typically Egyptian. Taking into account his unusual name and features, some Egyptologists believe that Yuya was of foreign origin, although this is far from certain.^[6] The name Yuya can be spelled in five different ways as Gaston Maspero noted decades ago in Theodore Davis's 1907 book--The Tomb of Iouiya and Touiyou.^[7] These include "iAy", ywiA", yw [reed-leaf with walking feet]A, ywiw" and, in orthography--normally a sign of something foreign--"y[man with hand to mouth]iA".^[8] It was abnormal for a person to have so many different ways to write his name in Egyptian; this may suggest that Yuya's ancestors had a foreign--though not necessarly Mitannian--origin.

One solution is that Yuya had some Mitannian ancestry; this argument is based on the fact that the knowledge of horses and chariotry was introduced into Egypt from Asia and Yuya was the king’s "Master of the Horse." It was also suggested Yuya was the brother of queen Mutemwiya, who was the mother of pharaoh Amenhotep III and may have had Mitannian royal origins.^[9] However, this hypothesis cannot be substantiated since nothing is known of Mutemwiya's background. While Yuya lived in Upper Egypt, an area which was predominantly native Egyptian, he could have been an assimiliated descendant of Asiatic immigrants or slaves who rose to become a member of the local nobility at Akhmin. If he was not a foreigner, however, then Yuya would have been a native Egyptian whose daughter was married Amenhotep III.

It has also been suggested Yuya and the Hebrew Patriarch Joseph are the same person. The problem is that Yuya's mummy has been found in his tomb in the Valley of the Kings, whereas Joseph is supposed to be buried with in the Tomb of the Patriarchs. Nevertheless, Ahmed Osman, in his series of books connecting Egypt and Christianity, states firmly that he believes Yuya is Joseph.

An excavation assistant beside the 2.75 meter outer coffin shortly after exacation.

Yuya served as a key adviser for Amenhotep III,^[10] and held posts such as "King’s Lieutenant" and "Master of the Horse"; his title "Father-of-the-god" possibly referred specifically to his being Amenhotep's father-in-law. In his native town of Akhmin, Yuya was a prophet of Min, the chief god of the area, and served as "Superintendent of Cattle".^[11]

Yuya and his wife were buried in the Valley of the Kings at Thebes, where their private KV46 tomb was discovered in 1905 ^[12] by James Quibell, who was working on behalf of Theodore M. Davis'. Although it had been entered, the tomb-robbers were perhaps disturbed, and Quibell found most of the funerary goods and the two mummies virtually intact.^[13]

Yuya was given the following honors:^[14]

• Father of the Holy Father
• The holy father of the Lord of the Two Lands (the pharaoh is known as the Lord of the Two Lands)
• Master of the Horse
• Deputy of His Majesty in the Chariotry
• Bearer of the Ring of the King of Lower Egypt
• Seal-bearer of the King of Lower Egypt
• Hereditary Noble and Count
• Overseer of the Cattle of Min, Lord of Akhmim
• Overseer of the Cattle of Amun
• Favorite of the Good God
• Confidant of the King
• Confidant of the Good God
• Mouth of the King of Upper Egypt
• Ears of the King of Lower Egypt
• Prophet of the God Min
• Unique Friend
• First of the Friends
• Prince
• Great Prince
• Great of Love
• Plentiful of Favors in the House of the King
• Plentiful of Favors under his Lord
• Enduring of Love under his Lord
• Beloved of the King of Upper Egypt
• Beloved of the King of Lower Egypt
• Beloved of the Lord of the Two Lands
• Beloved of God
• Possessor of Favor under the Lord of the Two Lands
• Praised of the Good God
• Praised of his God
• Praised of his Lord
• Praised of his Lord Amun
• Praised of the King
• Praised of the Lord of the Two Lands
• Praised One who came forth from the Body Praised
• One Made Rich by the King of Lower Egypt
• One Made Great by the King of Lower Egypt
• One Made Great by the Lord Who Does Things
• First among the King's Companions
• The Wise One
• He Whom the King Made Great and Wise, Whom the King Has Made His Double.

1. ^ (Osman p. 113)
2. ^ Rice, Michael (1999). Who's Who in Ancient Egypt. Routledge, p.207. 
3. ^ Rice, op. cit., p.222
4. ^ David, op. cit., p.167
5. ^ Rice, op. cit., p.20
6. ^ David O'Connor & Eric Cline, Amenhotep: Perspectives on his Reign, University of Michigan, 1998, p.5
7. ^ O'Connor & Cline, op. cit., p.5
8. ^ Maspero's analysis of Yuya's complex name is given on page xiii-xiv of The Tomb of Iouiya and Touiyou" by Theodore M. Davis, Archibald Constable and Co. Ltd, 1907
9. ^ Anthony David & Rosalie David, A Biographical Dictionary of Ancient Egypt, London: Seaby, 1992, p.167 ISBN 1-85264-032-4
10. ^ Rice, op. cit., p.222
11. ^ David, op. cit., p.167
12. ^ (Osman p. 8)
13. ^ David, op. cit., p.167
14. ^ (Osman pp. 14-5)

• David, Anthony, E. and Rosalie David. A Biographical Dictionary of Ancient Egypt. London: Seaby, 1992. ISBN 1-85264-032-4
• Osman, Ahmed. The Hebrew Pharaohs of Egypt. Rochester: Bear and Company, 1987.

• Discussion and images of the mummies of Yuya and Tjuyu. Tripod homepage. Retrieved on March 2, 2006.
• The Treasures of Yuya and Tuyu
• The Gospel According to Egypt

v • d • e Notable Ancient Egyptian Rulers
Early Dynastic Rulers	Narmer · Hor-Aha · Menes
Old Kingdom Rulers	Djoser · Sneferu · Khufu · Khafra · Menkaura · Pepi II
Middle Kingdom Rulers	Mentuhotep II · Mentuhotep IV · Senusret III · Amenemhat III · Sobekneferu
New Kingdom Rulers	Hatshepsut · Thutmose III · Amenhotep III · Akhenaten · Tutankhamun · Ramesses I · Seti I · Ramesses II
Other Rulers	Shoshenq I · Piye · Taharqa · Psammetichus I · Necho II · Psammetichus III · Ptolemy I · Cleopatra VII  · Ptolemy XIII
Consorts	Tetisheri · Ahmose-Nefertari · Ahmose · Tiye · Nefertiti · Ankhesenamun · Nefertari · Mark Antony
Court officials	Imhotep · Weni · Ahmose, son of Ebana · Ineni · Senemut · Rekhmire · Yuya · Maya · Yuny · Manetho · Pothinus