Maia of Saqqara (Bubasteion I.20) Reconsidered: Evidence for Neferneferuaten and a Secondary Burial Strategy

Abstract The rock-cut tomb of Maia (Bubasteion I.20) at Saqqara, excavated by Alain Zivie and the French Archaeological Mission, is one of the most architecturally sophisticated and iconographically distinctive monuments of the late 18th Dynasty. Its multi-level design and refined reliefs, including intimate scenes of the young Tutankhamun seated on Maia’s lap, processions of offering bearers, and Maia presenting as Isis before Osiris while wearing the modius, together with titles such as ‘Wet Nurse of the King’ and ‘Great One of the Harem’, attest to exceptional royal proximity during the turbulent post-Amarna transition. Despite the tomb’s grandeur, no securely identified sarcophagus, coffin, or primary funerary assemblage attributable to Maia has been recovered. Building upon Zivie’s scholarship, this paper argues that the absence constitutes a significant anomaly that may reflect deliberate funerary strategy: the Saqqara structure likely served as a commemorative or cenotaph-like monument, while Maia may have prepared a secondary or concealed burial arrangement, thereby raising broader questions concerning her historical status and funerary treatment. This interpretation builds upon the author’s prior analysis (Maia of Saqqara Reconsidered), which proposes Maia as a candidate for the elusive female pharaoh Neferneferuaten.