Ay«/b» was the penultimate «u»Pharaoh «/u» of «u»Ancient Egypt «/u»'s «u»18th dynasty «/u». He held the throne of Egypt for a brief four-year period (probably 1323 \endash 1319 BC«u»[1]«/u» or 1327 \endash 1323 BC, depending on which chronology is followed), although he was a close advisor to two and perhaps three of the pharaohs who ruled before him and was the power behind the throne during «u»Tutankhamun «/u»'s reign. Ay's «i»prenomen«/i» or royal name\emdash Kheperkheperure\emdash means "Everlasting are the Manifestations of Ra" while his birth name «i»Ay it-netjer«/i» reads as 'Ay, Father of the God.'«u»[2]«/u» Records and monuments that can be clearly attributed to Ay are rare, not only due to his short length, but also because his successor, «u»Horemheb «/u», instigated a campaign of «u»damnatio memoriae «/u» against him and other pharaohs associated with the unpopular «u»Amarna Period «/u».
- 1319
