Amenhotep III (Nebmaatre)

An unmatched building program

Amenhotep III is credited with commissioning several hundred temples, statues, and stelae over his reign, more than any pharaoh before him. At Thebes, he built the core of the Luxor Temple, dedicated to the gods Amun, Mut, and Khonsu, added a pylon at Karnak, and constructed a sprawling palace complex at Malkata covering roughly 30 hectares on the west bank, with audience halls, a harem, gardens, and its own temple to Amun. His mortuary temple nearby was, at the time, the largest temple complex ever built in Egypt, though it was later devastated by an earthquake and stripped for building stone; only its two colossal seated guardian statues, known since antiquity as the Colossi of Memnon, still stand largely intact. He maintained peace across an empire stretching from Nubia to the Levant chiefly through diplomatic marriages with foreign royal houses, a policy later reflected in the Amarna Letters, an archive of international royal correspondence.

Tuya and Yuya

• Era: 18th Dynasty (New Kingdom).
• Role: High-ranking Egyptian nobles. They are the parents of Queen Tiye and the great-grandparents of Pharaoh Tutankhamun.
• Lifespan: Tuya died c. 1375 BCE. Yuya died c. 1374 BCE. Both passed away between the ages of 50 and 60.

Yuya (husband)

• Origins: Scholars believe he had foreign, likely Semitic, roots. His name ends in a distinct "yah" sound. Unlike typical high-ranking Egyptian men, his mummy shows no pierced ears. Some theories suggest he was the brother of Mutemwiya, a Mitanni princess.
• Titles and roles: Master of Horses. He introduced advanced chariotry and horse training to Egypt. He also served as Prophet of Min at Akhmim, Chief Advisor to Pharaoh Amenhotep III (Nebmaatre), Lieutenant of the Army, and "Father of the God's Body".
• Mummy details: His body survived in exceptional condition. He wears a lifelike smile. The embalming process turned his white hair a yellowish hue. He sports a prominent aquiline nose and a 3mm stubble. Embalmers used subcutaneous packing to hold his facial symmetry intact, and they deliberately left his heart inside the chest cavity.

Tuya (wife)

• Origins: A noble Egyptian woman born in Akhmim.
• Titles and roles: Overseer of the Pharaoh's Harem in Akhmim and Luxor. This strategic position gave her significant political leverage. She also served as Entertainer of Min and Chantress of Hathor.
• Mummy details: She stood under 5 feet tall, suffering from severe scoliosis. She was bald on top, retaining wavy white hair on the sides. Her ears feature multiple piercings, including unusual top piercings.

Lineage and family

• Daughter: Queen Tiye. She became the Great Royal Wife of Pharaoh Amenhotep III (Nebmaatre). Tuya likely orchestrated this union while the pharaoh was still a child.
• Sons: Anen held titles as Chancellor of Lower Egypt, Prophet of Amun, and Chief Astronomer. Ay likely started here too, eventually becoming Vizier to Tutankhamun and taking the throne himself.
• Grandchildren: Pharaoh Akhenaten and Princess Sitamun. Sitamun left a gilded wooden throne inside her grandparents' tomb.
• Great-grandson: Pharaoh Tutankhamun. His royal grandfather linking the bloodline is Amenhotep III (Nebmaatre).

The tomb (KV46)

• Location: The Valley of the Kings. Placing non-royals in this sacred, restricted valley signaled extraordinary favor from Pharaoh Amenhotep III (Nebmaatre) and Queen Tiye.
• Design: Small, rough, and entirely undecorated. Workers likely rushed its construction since Yuya died merely a year after Tuya.
• Discovery: James Quibell and Theodore Davis unsealed it on February 5, 1905. This predated the famous King Tutankhamun discovery.
• Condition: Grave robbers broke in during antiquity. Guards caught them in the act. The thieves dropped artifacts in the corridor and fled, leaving behind a largely intact hoard of treasures.

Significant artifacts

• Book of the Dead: A pristine 20-meter papyrus scroll containing spells and an illustration of Yuya's funeral.
• Death masks: Both wore exquisite gold masks. Yuya's remained simple. Tuya's mask featured lapis, quartz, obsidian, and a lotus crown.
• Sitamun's throne: A gilded chair showing the protective deities Bes and Taweret.
• Beds and furniture: Unique beds with animal feet and apotropaic gods meant to ward off "demons" during sleep.
• Chariot: A ceremonial vehicle built from wood, leather, and gold.
• Osiris bed: A wooden frame mirroring Osiris. They planted it with barley to represent resurrection and life springing from death.