Maia

The hieroglyphic
name of Maia

Maia, or Matia, was the wet nurse of king Tutankhamun. She is known from her rock-cut tomb found at Saqqara. Maia bears the claims wet nurse of the king, educator of the god's body and essential one of the harem. Nothing is known about Maia's parents and nothing else is known about Maia other than the data in the tomb. In the tomb Tutankhamun is presented sitting on Maia's lap and the king is named several times in the tomb's inscriptions.

Maia with Tutankhamun

The parents of Maia are not observed in the tomb. Other individuals mentioned in the tomb letterings include the Overseer of the Magazine, Rahotep, the High Priest of Thoth [...]enkaef (the getting of the name is not legible), a scribe named Tetinefer and a penman of the offering table named Ahmose. Zivie has indicated that Maia should be described with the King's Daughter Meritaten.

Tomb of Maia:

Her tomb was saw in 1996 by the French Egyptologist Alain Zivie. The tomb (I.20) lies in the vicinity of the Bubasteion. The tomb comprises of the cult chambers with 3 decorated rooms and the underground, mostly undecorated, burial chambers. The first room of the cult chapel of her tomb is dedicated to the life of Maia. This accepts a scene showing Tutankamun sitting on the lap of Maia and there is a seriously damaged picture showing Maia in front of the king. The second room is sacred to the burial rites connected with Maia. Maia is showed in front of offering carriers. She is depicted as a mummy in congress to the opening of the mouth ritual and she is standing before the underworld god Osiris. The third room is the widest and has four pillars. The pillars are inflamed with the image of Maia. The support of the room shows a stela carved into the rock with Maia in front of Osiris. In this room there is also a staircase leading down to the burial chambers. Most other walls of this room are spare.

The grave was in later times hard reused. During those later menses the tomb received individual burials of cats. Notable is the discover of the mummy of a great male lion in the main segment of the tomb. The lion mummy no more had any patches, but the remains showed signs of mummification like to the one used for other cats at the locate. In December 2015 the tomb was re-opened in the bearing of Alain Zivie and instances of the Ministry of Antiquities.

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·        Nebwenef
·        Mau-Tai
·        Khamaat
·        Aion
·        Maxims of Ani
·        Khamerernebty I
·        Khamerernebty II
·        Maxims of Ptah-hotep
·        Khamet
·        Nebyet
·        Maya
·        Khamsin