| Maya | |
| Style: | High Priest of Amun |
| Predecessor: | Meryptah or Ptahmose (vizier) |
| Successor: | Parennefer called Wennefer |
| Pharaoh: | Amenhotep III, Akhenaten |
| Burial: | Dra' Abu el-Naga', Thebes (Tomb K99.1) |
Maya or May was a High Priest of Amun of ancient Egypt, until at least year 4 of Akhenaten.
May is known from an expedition in year 4 to Wadi Wadi Hammamat. The purpose of the expedition was to quarry stone for the statue of the king.[1]
Further inscriptions on the way to the quarries, at Wadi Abu Quwei, record that the expedition of the High Priest was accompanied by a contingent of 253 soldiers. the soldiers were under the command of a standard-bearer named Ry and his second in command named Amenmose.[2]
Aldred suggested that Meryptah had succeeded Ptahmose as High Priest of Amun and served towards the end of Amenhotep III's reign. And hence Maya would have been Meryptah's successor.[3] Donald Redford speculates that Maya is short for Ptahmose and that Ptahmose served from the end of the reign of Amenhotep III until the beginning of the time of Akhenaten.[4]
Maya is not mentioned after year 4, and it is possible he died soon after this expedition.[4]
An ostracon with the name and title of the High Priest of Amun May was found by Fisher during the 1921-1923 expeditions in Dra' Abu el-Naga'. It is now in the Penn Museum (Object Number: 29-87-419).[5] The tomb of May was identified in Dra' Abu el-Naga' as being Tomb K99.1 by a German team led by D. Polz.[1] [6] There is a statue of Maya, with placard that reads "Maya, Governor and Chief of the Priests of Lower Egypt, 1400 BC" at the Berlin Egyptian museum. A Chief of Priests of Lower Egypt would be head priest of the two religious centers of "Sais" and "On."https://www.alamy.com/berlin-germany-ancient-egyptian-seated-statue-of-maya-governor-and-chief-of-the-priests-wearing-the-gold-of-honour-neues-museum-new-kingdom-pe-image241818317.html