Aja I.

Name of Aja I.
Throne name	Meri-nefer-Re Mrj-nfr-Rˁ Loved by the perfection of Re
Proper name	Aja or Eje III
Royal Papyrus Turin (No.7/3)	Meri-nefer-Re Mrj-nfr-Rˁ Loved by the perfection of the Re / Who loves the perfection, a Re

Aja (I.) (with the throne name Meri-nefer-Re ) was an ancient Egyptian king ( Pharaoh ) of the 13th Dynasty ( Second Intermediate Period ), who lived around 1700 BC. Or from around 1669 to around 1656 BC. Ruled. The exact pronunciation of the name is unknown, it is also possible that the proper name of this king was pronounced "Eje"; this form of name is the usual one for an Egyptian king of the 18th dynasty with the same hieroglyphic spelling, which is why both kings are differentiated by corresponding ordinal numbers. In German-speaking countries, however, the reading "Aja" has become established for the king of the 13th dynasty, so that a distinction by ordinal numbers (Aja I./Eje II.) Is not absolutely necessary.

supporting documents

Aja was a ruler of the 13th dynasty , who is said to have ruled for 13 years, 8 months and 28 days according to the Turin royal papyrus . The ruler is known for the pyramidion of his pyramid and some less significant objects such as numerous seals , obsidian vases and a fragment of a gate in Karnak . He is considered the last ruler of the 13th Dynasty, as he left monuments in the north and south of the country. According to him, the country seems to have broken up into several parts and the actual Second Intermediate Period begins. The small number of his monuments compared to his reign suggests a crisis-ridden epoch. There are hardly any private monuments that can be dated to this period.

Queen Ineni may have been his wife.

The pyramid of Aja I.

Representation on the pyramidion of Aja

Near the place Fâqûs in the eastern Nile - Delta was discovered a pyramidion in 1911, the Aja I. can be attributed. It is 85 centimeters high, 83 centimeters wide at the base and is made of black granite . So far, however, no structure has been discovered near the site that could have served as a building site for a pyramid.

literature

• Jürgen von Beckerath : Investigations into the political history of the second interim period in Egypt (= Egyptological research. Volume 23). Augustin, Glückstadt 1964, p. 59.
• Thomas Schneider : The Relative Chronology of the Middle Kingdom and the Hyksos Period (Dyns. 12-17). In: Erik Hornung, Rolf Krauss, David A. Warburton (eds.): Ancient Egyptian Chronology (= Handbook of Oriental studies. Section One. The Near and Middle East. Volume 83). Brill, Leiden / Boston 2006, ISBN 978-90-04-11385-5 , pp. 168-196 ( online ).

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Dating from Thomas Schneider: Lexikon der Pharaonen. Artemis & Winkler, Munich 1997, ISBN 3-7608-1102-7 .
2. ↑ See L. Habachi: Khatâ'na-Qantîr: Importance. with chapter: III. Two Pyramidions of the XIIIth Dynasty from Ezbet Rushdi el-Kebira (Khata'na). In: Annales du service des antiquités de l'Égypte (ASAE) Cairo, No. 52, 1952, complete article: pp. 443–559, chapter: pp. 471–479 (illustrated and discussed: Plates XVI – XVII, p. 471 -474).

predecessor	Office	successor
Jaib	Pharaoh of Egypt 13th Dynasty	Sobekhotep VI.