As the son of the heretic king, Tutankhamun was the grandson of Amenhotep III and Queen Tiye, the Tutankhamun Family Project conducted by Dr. Hawass confirms that he was the product of a full brother-sister union, meaning that he had only one set of grandparents. The testing also confirmed that Tiye was indeed the daughter of Yuya and Tjuya - a highly respected couple who came from Akhmin in Upper Egypt, and were therefore Tut’s double great-grandparents.
Yuya’s Origins
Grafton Elliot Smith discovered their remarkably intact tomb in 1905. He concluded that Yuya's appearance seemed rather foreign. The area of Akhmin was populated by Hebrew slaves, and it is believed he may have been descended from Asiatic immigrants - possibly slaves, who rose through the ranks. Yuya became master of the king’s horses and chariots, and this particular skill was introduced to Egypt via Asia - which suggests once again that he may have had connections with The Levant. His titles were usually hereditary, and it has been proposed that Yuya was born to Yey - a gentleman who once held the same titles, by his wife Tey.
Life at Akhmin
Min was the chief deity at Akhmin, and Yuya held various official posts within the town. There he was In Charge of the Oxen of Min, and a Prophet of Min. He emerged during the reign of Tuthmosis IV - the father of Amenhotep III, and quickly rose to prominence at court. Aldred suggests that Yuya was the brother of Mutemwiya - Amenhotep's mother, and he suggests that Amenhotep's marriage to Tiye was encouraged by Mutemwiya to better secure her own family's importance.
Marriage to Tjuya
Tjuya is believed to have been of noble descent because she held various ecclesiastical positions and because of her exalted status Aldred has suggested that she was possibly a descendant of Queen Ahmose-Nefertari (c.1562 - 1495 BC) - whose female descendants inherited similar titles. Tjuya held the titles Superior of the Harem of Min at Akhmin, and in later years at Thebes (where Yuya was in service at court) she held the elevated title Superior of Amun’s Harem. She performed various religious duties and was styled Singer of Hathor and Chief of the Entertainers of Amun and Min.
Life at the Court of Amenhotep III
Yuya rose to the highest ranks at the court of Amenhotep III, and held the titles Lieutenant-General of the King’s Chariots and Master of the King’s Horses. He served as Grand Vizier to the King and in later life he was styled God’s Father - implying that he was Amenhotep’s father-in-law. This has been scientifically proven by Dr. Hawass’s research during the family project, in which ancient DNA samples taken from Yuya and Tjuya’s mummies confirmed that they were the parents of Tiye - the Great Royal Wife of Amenhotep.
They also demonstrated that Tjuya and Amenhotep shared almost none of the same genetic traits, but they could indeed have been distantly related - as they would have been if she was a descendant of Ahmose-Nefertari, but the tests showed that Amenhotep and Yuya were closely related. The relationship was not determined, but it is likely that Aldred's theory may indeed be correct - Yuya may have been the brother of Mutemwiya.
Children
- Tiye was born c.1399 BC - probably at Akhmin, and was married to Amenhotep when they were both aged twelve during his first reignal year. They became the parents of the heretic king, Akhenaten - who married Nefertiti - the daughter of Tiye’s likely brother - Ay. The dowager Queen Tiye lived for twelve years after Amenhotep died, and seems to have been greatly honoured in her widowhood, she died c.1338 BC aged about sixty-one.
- Pharaoh Ay is likely to have been the son of Yuya and Tjuya. He certainly came from Akhmin, and held the title Grand Vizier to the King at the court of Akhenaten at Amarna. Ay appears to have married twice, firstly to an unknown woman by whom he fathered Nefertiti, and secondly to a woman named Tey, by whom he fathered Nakhtmin - a general under Tutankhamun, and a daughter named Mutnodjmet. Ay succeeded Tutankhamun around 1322 BC when he was probably in his seventies. He took Tut’s widow Ankhesenamun (who was his granddaughter) as his consort - although this was probably just to secure his position as king, and it is unlikely that this was a sexual relationship. Ay ruled for a mere four years, and he was succeeded by Pharaoh Horemheb - who was married to Mutnodjmet, and was therefore his son-in-law. Queen Nefertari - a wife of Rameses II during the 19th Dynasty is believed to have been one of his descendants.
- Their son Anen held various official posts, and held the title Chancellor of Lower Egypt. He died around c.1362 BC.
Later Life
Yuya and Tjuya are believed to have survived well into the reign of Amenhotep and CT Scans conducted by Dr. Hawass confirm that both suffered from malaria tropica in their later years - the most severe form, and passed away in their fifties - or possibly older, during the first half of Amenhotep's reign - but it is unclear whether malaria was their actual cause of death.
Tomb of Yuya and Tjuya
They were buried together at KV46, the tomb was highly elaborate and was said to be the second most complete following the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922. It appears that ancient grave robbers attempted to plunder the tomb but were unsuccessful. Within the tomb are two thrones bearing the name of Sitamun - their eldest granddaughter who was honoured with the title of queen during the reign of Amenhotep and Tiye, within the tomb are twin cartouches bearing the names of Amenhotep and his daughter-queen, Sitamun - who they may have been close to.
Yuya's mummy - which still retains its eyelashes - has been described as the most perfectly preserved in Egyptian history, and both he and Tjuya appear to have had bright blonde hair - but this was probably the result of resins used during the mummification process. Tjuya's mummy shows evidence of scoliosis - which is also evident in the mummies of Tutankhamun's mother - their granddaughter, and in that of Queen Ahmose-Meritamen - a daughter of Ahmose-Nefertari, and therefore a distant ancestor of the royal family.
Sources:
- Akhenaten by Cyril Aldred, Thames & Hudson Ltd, 1991.
- Dr Hawass: Official Website
- Tutankhamun by Christine Desroches-Noblecourt, Penguin Books, 1965.
Karl Leon Ciccone - Karl was born in Sunderland, United Kingdom in 1981. His ancestry which is mostly English, is mixed Scottish, Irish, Italian, French, ...
