Zapletniuk QUEEN ANKHESENAMUN AND THE CRISIS OF THE AMARNA DYNASTY

QUEEN ANKHESENAMUN AND THE CRISIS OF THE AMARNA DYNASTY

O. A. Zapletniuk

PhD (History) PhD candidate in Egyptology Swansea University United Kingdom olga.zapletniuk@gmail.com

The article is devoted to the study of the role of Queen Ankhesenamun in the political situation in Ancient Egypt in the Post-Amarna Period and the influence of her activities on the international situation in the Middle East. Ankhesenamun (Ankhesenpaaten) (app. 1345 – after 1323 BC) was a key figure of the Post-Amarna Period, her political actions had an impact on the international situation in the Middle East and she was a prominent figure in the struggle for the Egyptian throne, that led to its usurpation by courtier Ay and final end of the Amarna Dynasty. The crisis of the Amarna Dynasty and transfer of power to the non-royal pretender remains unclear and deliberative. Despite the fact, that in the historiography of the Amarna Period Ankhesenamun remains in the shadow of her famous husband, Tutankhamun, and his successors, the archaeological and narrative sources show that she was an active and very important historical figure, holding political power and acting as the legitimate heir and ruler. The author concludes that the struggle between Ankhesenamun, Ay and Horemheb for the Tutankhamun’s throne clearly indicated that Ay and Horemheb were non-royal persons, who later usurped power without legal rights.

Keywords: Ancient Egypt, Ankhesenamun, Tutankhamun, Amarna Period, Akhenaten

Preislamic Near East 2021, (2):61-68

https://doi.org/10.15407/preislamic2021.02.061

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