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Memphis was the ancient capital of Aneb-Hetch, the first
Nome of Lower Egypt. Its ruins are located near the town of
Helwan, south of Cairo. According to legend related by Manetho,
the city was founded by the pharaoh Menes around 3000 BCE.
Capital of Egypt during the Old Kingdom, it remained an
important city throughout the ancient Mediterranean history. It
occupied a strategic position at the mouth of the Nile delta,
and was home to feverish activity. Its principal port,
Peru-nefer, harbored a high density of workshops, factories,
and warehouses that distributed food and merchandise throughout
the
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ancient kingdom. During its golden age, Memphis thrived
as a regional centre for commerce, trade, and religion.
Memphis was believed to be under the protection of the god Ptah,
the patron of craftsmen. Its great temple, Hout-ka-Ptah (meaning
"Castle of the ka of Ptah"), was one of the most prominent
structures in the city. The name of this temple, rendered in
Greek as Aί γυ πτoς (Ai-gy-ptos) by the historian Manetho, is
believed to be the etymological origin of the modern English
name Egypt. The history of Memphis is closely linked to that of
the country itself. Its eventual downfall is believed to be due
to the loss of its economical significance in late antiquity,
following the rise of coastal Alexandria. Its religious
significance also diminished after the abandonment of the
ancient religion following the Edict of Thessalonica. The ruins
of the former capital today offer fragmented evidence of its
magnificent past. They have been preserved, along with the
pyramid complex at Giza, as a World Heritage Site since 1979.
The site is open to the public as an open-air museum.
Toponymy:
Memphis has had several names during its history of
almost four millennia. Its Ancient Egyptian name was
Inebou-Hedjou, and later, Ineb-Hedj (translated as "the white
walls"), because of its majestic fortifications and
crenulations. Because of its size, the city also came to be
known by various other names that were actually the names of
neighbourhoods or districts that enjoyed considerable prominence
at one time or another. For example, according to a text of the
First Intermediate Period, it was known Djed-Sut ("everlasting
place"), which is the name of the pyramid of Teti. The city was
also at one point referred to as Ankh-Tawy (meaning "That which
binds the Two Lands"), stressing the strategic position of the
city between Upper and Lower Egypt. This name appears to date
from the Middle Kingdom (c. 2055–1640 BCE), and is frequently
found in ancient Egyptian texts. Some scholars maintain that
this name was actually that of the western district of the city
that lay between the great Temple of Ptah and the necropolis at
Saqqara, an area that contained a sacred tree. At the beginning
of the New Kingdom (c. 1550 BCE), the city became known as
Men-nefer (meaning "the good place"), which became Menfe in
Coptic. The name "Memphis" (Μέμφις) is the Greek corruption of
this name, which was originally the name of the pyramid of Pepi
I, located west of the city. The Egyptian historian Manetho
referred to Memphis as Hi-Ku-P'tah (meaning "Place of the ka of
Ptah"), which he approximated in Greek as Aί γυ πτoς
(Ai-gy-ptos), from which derives the Latin AEGYPTVS and the
modern English name of Egypt. The term Copt is also believed to
be etymologically derived from this name. In the Bible, Memphis
is called Moph or Noph.
Location:
The ruins of Memphis are 20 km (12 miles) south of
Cairo, on the west bank of the Nile. The modern cities and towns
of Mit Rahina, Dahshur, Abusir, Abu Gorab, and Zawyet el'Aryan,
south of Cairo, all lie within the administrative borders of
historical Memphis (29°50′58.8″N 31°15′15.4″E / 29.849667°N
31.254278°E / 29.849667; 31.254278). The city was also the
place that marked the boundary between Upper and Lower Egypt.
(The 22nd nome of Upper Egypt and 1st nome of Lower Egypt).
Population:
The site of the former city is
today uninhabited. The closest settlement is the town of Mit
Rahina. Estimates of historical population size differ widely
between sources. According to T. Chandler, Memphis had some
30,000 inhabitants and was by far the largest settlement
worldwide from the time of its foundation until around 2250 BCE
and from 1557 to 1400 BCE. K. A. Bard is more cautious and
estimates the city's population to have amounted to about 6,000
inhabitants during the Old Kingdom.
History:
Memphis became the capital of
Ancient Egypt for over eight consecutive dynasties during the
Old Kingdom. The city reached a peak of prestige under the 6th
dynasty as a centre for the worship of Ptah, the god of creation
and artworks. The alabaster sphinx that guards the Temple of
Ptah serves as a memorial of the city's former power and
prestige. The Memphis triad, consisting of the creator god Ptah,
his consort Sekhmet, and their son Nefertem, formed the main
focus of worship in the city. Memphis declined briefly after the
18th dynasty with the rise of Thebes and the New Kingdom, and
was revived under the Persians before falling firmly into second
place following the foundation of Alexandria. Under the Roman
Empire, Alexandria remained the most important city. Memphis
remained the second city of Egypt until the establishment of
Fustat (or Fostat) in 641 CE. It was then largely abandoned and
became a source of stone for the surrounding settlements. It was
still an imposing set of ruins in the 12th century but soon
became little more than an expanse of low ruins and scattered
stone. .
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Legendary History:
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The legend recorded by Manetho was
that Menes, the first pharaoh to unite the Two Lands,
established his capital on the banks of the Nile by diverting
the river with dikes. The Greek historian Herodotus, who tells a
similar story, relates that during his visit to the city, the
Persians, at that point the suzerains of the country, paid
particular attention to the condition of these dams so that the
city was saved from the annual flooding. Herodotus dates the
founding of the city at around 3100 BCE, over 2500 years prior
to his visit. It has been theorised that Menes was possibly a
mythical king, similar to Romulus and Remus of Rome. Some
scholars suggest that Egypt most likely became unified through
mutual need, developing cultural ties and trading partnerships,
although that the first capital of united Egypt was the city of
Memphis is undisputed.Egyptologists have also identified the
legendary Menes with the historical Narmer, who is represented
in the Palette of Narmer conquering the Nile delta in Lower
Egypt and establishing
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as pharaoh. This palette has been dated to ca. 31st century
BCE, and would thus correlate with the story of Egypt's
unification by Menes.
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Old Kingdom:
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Little is known about the city of the Old Kingdom. It was the state
capital of the godlike pharaohs, who reigned from Memphis from the date of the
1st dynasty. During the earliest years of the reign of Menes, according to
Manetho, the seat of power was further to the south, at Thinis. According to
Manetho, ancient sources suggest the "white walls" (Ineb-hedj) were founded by
Menes. Referred to in some texts as the "Fortress of the White Wall", it is
likely that the king established himself here to better control this new union
between the two rival kingdoms. The complex of Djoser of the 3rd dynasty,
located in the ancient necropolis at Saqqara, would then be the royal funerary
chamber, housing all the elements necessary to royalty: temples, shrines,
ceremonial courts, and palaces barracks. The golden age began with the 4th
dynasty, which seems to have furthered the primary role of Memphis as a royal
residence where rulers received the double crown, the divine manifestation of
the unification of the Two Lands. Coronations and jubilees such as the Sed
festival were celebrated in the temple of Ptah. The earliest signs of such
ceremonies were found in the chambers of Djoser. It was also during this period that
' developed the
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clergy of the temple of Ptah. The importance of the shrine is attested in this
period with payments of food and other goods necessary for the funerary
rites of royal and noble dignitaries. This shrine is also cited in the annals
preserved on the Palermo Stone, and beginning from the reign of Menkaura, we
know the names of the high priests of Memphis that seem to work in pairs at
least until the reign of Teti. The architecture of this period was similar to
that seen at Giza, royal necropolis of the Fourth dynasty, where recent
excavations have revealed that the essential focus of the kingdom at that time
centred on the construction of the royal tomb. A strong suggestion of this
notion is the etymology of the name of the city itself, which matched that of
the pyramid of Pepi I of the 6th dynasty. Memphis was then the heir to a long
artistic and architectural practice, constantly encouraged by the monuments of
preceding reigns.Sculpture from the Middle Kingdom restored in the name of Rameses II. All these
necropoleis were surrounded by camps inhabited by craftsmen and labourers,
dedicated exclusively to the construction of royal tombs. Spread over several
kilometres stretching in all directions, Memphis formed a true megalopolis, with
temples connected by sacred temenos, and ports connected by roadways and canals.
The perimeter of the city thus gradually extended into a vast urban sprawl. Its
centre remained around the temple complex of Ptah.
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Middle Kingdom:
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In the beginning of the Middle Kingdom, the capital and court of the
pharaoh had moved to Thebes in the south, leaving Memphis for a time in the
shade. Although the seat of political power had been shifted, however, Memphis
remained perhaps the most important commercial and artistic centre, as evidenced
by the discovery of handicrafts districts and cemeteries, located west of the
temple of Ptah. Also found were vestiges attesting to the architectural focus of
this time. A large granite offering table on behalf of Amenemhat I mentioned the
erection by the king of a shrine to the god Ptah, master of Truth. Other blocks
registered in the name of Amenemhat II were found to be used as foundations for
large monoliths preceding the pylons of Rameses II. These kings were also known
to have ordered mining expeditions, raids or military campaigns beyond the
borders, erecting monuments or statues to the consecration of deities, evinced
by a panel recording official acts of the royal court during this time. In the
ruins of the Temple of Ptah, a block in the name of Senusret II bears an
inscription indicating an architectural commission as a gift to the gods of
Memphis. Moreover, many statues found at the site, later restored by the New
Kingdom pharaohs, are attributed to pharaohs of the 12th dynasty. Examples
include the two stone giants that have been recovered amidst the temple ruins,
which were later restored under the name of Rameses II. Finally, according to
the tradition recorded by Herodotus and Diodorus, Amenemhet III built the
northern gate of the Temple of Ptah. Remains attributed to this pharaoh were
indeed found during the excavations in this area conducted by Flinders Petrie,
who confirmed the connection. It is also worth noting that, during this time,
mastabas of the high priests of Ptah were constructed near the royal pyramids at
Saqqara, showing that the royalty and the clergy of Memphis at that time were
closely linked. The 13th dynasty continued this trend, and some pharaohs of this
line were buried at Saqqara, attesting that Memphis retained its place at the
heart of the monarchy. With the invasion of the Hyksos, and their rise to power ca. 1650 BCE, the city of
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Memphis came under siege.
Following its capture, many monuments and statues
of the ancient capital
and were dismantled, looted or damaged by the Hyksos kings, who later carried
them to adorn their new capital at Avaris. Evidence of
royal propaganda has been uncovered and attributed to
the Theban kings of the 17th dynasty, who initiated the
reconquest of the kingdom half a century later.
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New Kingdom:
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The
18th dynasty thus opened with the victory over the invaders by
the Thebans. Although the reigns of Amenhotep II and Thutmose IV
saw considerable royal focus in Memphis, power remained for the
most part in the south. With the long period of peace that
followed, prosperity again took hold of the city, which
benefited from her strategic position. Strengthening trade ties
with other empires meant that the port of Peru-nefer (literally
means "Bon Voyage") became the gateway to the kingdom for
neighbouring regions, including Byblos and the Levant. In the
New Kingdom, Memphis became a centre for the education of royal
princes and the sons of the nobility. Amenhotep II, born and
raised in Memphis, was made the setem—the high priest over Lower
Egypt—during the reign of his father. His son, Thutmose IV
received his famed and recorded dream whilst residing as a young
prince in Memphis. During his exploration of the site, Karl
Richard Lepsius identified a series of blocks and broken
colonnades in the name of Thutmose IV to the east of the Temple
of Ptah. They had to belong to a royal building, most likely a
ceremonial palace. It was also during the 18th dynasty that
would date the founding of the temple of Astarte, which
Herodotus mistakes as being dedicated to the Greek goddess
Aphrodite. It has been attributed to the reign of Amenhotep III.
The greatest work of this pharaoh in Memphis, however, was a
temple called "Nebmaatra united with Ptah", which is cited by
many sources from the period of his reign, including artefacts
listing the works of Huy, the High Steward of Memphis. The
location of this temple has not been precisely determined, but a
number of its brown quartzite blocks were found to have been
reused by Rameses II for the construction of the small temple of
Ptah. This leads some Egyptologists to suggest that the latter
temple had been built over the site of the first.
Ruins of the
pillared hall of Rameses. According to inscriptions found in
Memphis, Akhenaten founded a temple of Aten in the city. The
burial chamber of one of the priests of this cult has been
uncovered at Saqqara. His successor Tutankhamun relocated the
royal court from Amarna to Memphis before the end of the second
year of his reign. Whilst in Memphis, Tutankhamun initiated a
period of restoration of the temples and traditions following
the monotheistic era of Atenism, which was regarded as heresy.
The tombs of important officials from his reign, such as
Horemheb and Maya, are situated in Saqqara, although Horemheb
was eventually buried in the Valley of the Kings after reigning
as pharaoh himself. There is evidence that, under Rameses II,
the city developed new importance in the political sphere
through its proximity to the new capital Pi-Rameses. The pharaoh
devoted many monuments in Memphis and adorned them with colossal
symbols of glory. Merneptah, his successor, constructed a palace
and developed the southeast wall of the temple of Ptah. For the
early part of the 19th dynasty, Memphis received the privileges
of royal attention, and it is this dynasty that is most evident
among the ruins of the city today.
Relief
representing the High Priest of Ptah, Shoshenq. With the 21st
and 22nd dynasties, we see a continuation of the religious
development initiated by Rameses. Memphis does not seem to
suffer a decline during the Third Intermediate Period, which saw
great changes in the geopolitics of the country. Instead it is
likely that the pharaohs worked to develop the Memphite cult in
their new capital of Tanis, to the northeast. In light of some
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remains found at the site, it is known that
a temple of Ptah was based
there. Siamun is cited as having built a temple
dedicated to Amun, theremains of which were
found by Flinders Petrie in the
early 20thcentury, in the south of the
temple of Ptah complex. According to inscriptions describing his
architectural work, Sheshonk I, founder of the 22nd dynasty,
constructed a forecourt and pylon of the temple of Ptah, a
monument which he called the "Castle of Millions of Years of
Sheshonk, Beloved of Amun". The funerary cult surrounding this
monument, well known in the New Kingdom, was still functioning
several generations after its establishment at the temple,
leading some scholars to suggest that it may have contained the
royal burial chamber of the pharaoh himself. Sheshonk also
ordered the building of a new shrine for the god Apis,
especially devoted to funeral ceremonies in which the bull was
led to his death to be ritually mummified. A necropolis for the
high priests of Memphis dating precisely from the 22nd dynasty
has been found west of the forum. It included a chapel dedicated
to Ptah by a prince Shoshenq, son of Osorkon II, whose tomb was
found in Saqqara in 1942. The chapel is currently visible in the
gardens of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, behind a trio of
colossi of Rameses II, which are also from Memphis.
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Late Period:
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During the Third Intermediate Period
and the Late Period, Memphis is often the scene of liberation
struggles of the local dynasties against an occupying force,
such as the Kushites, Assyrians and Persians. The triumphant
campaign of Piankhi, ruler of the Kushites, saw the
establishment of the 25th dynasty, whose seat of power was in
Napata. Piankhi's conquest of Egypt was recorded on the Victory
Stele at the Temple of Amun in Gebel Barkal. Following the
capture of Memphis, he restored the temples and cults neglected
during the reign of the Libyans. His successors are known for
building for chapels in the southwest corner of the temple of
Ptah. Memphis became at the heart of the turmoil produced by the
great Assyrian threat. Under Taharqa, the city formed the
frontier base of the resistance, which soon crumbled as the
Kushite king was driven back into Nubia. The Assyrian king
Esarhaddon, supported by some of the native Egyptian princes,
captured Memphis in 671 BCE. His forces sacked and raided the
city, slaughtered villagers and erected piles of their heads.
Esarhaddon returned to his capital Nineveh with rich booty, and
erected a victory stele showing the son of Taharqa in chains.
Almost as soon as the king left, Egypt rebelled against Assyrian
rule.
Ruins of the palace of Apries, in
Memphis. In Assyria, Ashurbanipal succeeded his father and
resumed the offensive against Egypt. In a massive invasion in
664 BCE, the city of Memphis was again sacked and looted, and
the king Tantamani was pursued into Nubia and defeated, putting
a definitive end to the Kushite reign over Egypt. Power then
returned to the Saite pharaohs, who, fearful of an invasion from
the Babylonians, reconstructed and even fortified structures in
the city, as is attested by the palace built by Apries. Under
the Persians, structures in the city were preserved and
strengthened, and Memphis was made the administrative
headquarters of the newly conquered satrapy. A Persian garrison
was permanently installed within the city, probably in the great
north wall, near the domineering palace of Apries. The
excavations by Flinders Petrie revealed that this sector
included armouries. For almost a century and a half, the city
remained the capital of the Egyptian satrapy, officially
becoming one of the epicentres of commerce in the vast territory
conquered by the Achaemenid monarchy. The steles dedicated to
Apis in the Serapeum at Saqqara, commissioned by the reigning
monarch, represent a key element in understanding the events of
this period. As in the Late Period, the catacombs in which the
remains of the sacred bulls were buried gradually grew in size,
and later took on a monumental appearance that confirms the
growth of the cult's hypostases throughout the country, and
particularly in Memphis and its necropolis. Thus, a monument
dedicated by Cambyses II seems to refute the testimony of
Herodotus, who lends the conquerors a criminal attitude of
disrespect against the sacred traditions. The nationalist
awakening came with the rise to power, however briefly, of
Amyrtaeus in 404 BCE, who ended the Persian occupation. He was
defeated and executed at Memphis in October of 399 BCE by
Nepherites I, founder of the 29th dynasty. The execution was
recorded in an Aramaic papyrus document (Papyrus Brooklyn 13).
Nepherites moved the capital to Mendes, in the eastern delta,
and Memphis lost its status in the political sphere. It
retained, however, its religious, commercial, and strategic
importance, and was instrumental in resisting Persian attempts
to reconquer Egypt. Under Nectanebo I, a major rebuilding
program was initiated for temples across the country. In
Memphis, a powerful new wall was rebuilt for the Temple of Ptah,
and developments were made to temples and chapels inside the
complex. Nectanebo II meanwhile, while continuing the work of
his predecessor, began building large sanctuaries, especially in
the necropolis of Saqqara, adorning them with pylons, statues
and paved roads lined with rows of sphinxes. Despite his efforts
to prevent the recovery of the country by the Persians, he
succumbed to a massive invasion in 343 BCE, and was defeated at
Pelusium. Nectanebo II retreated south to Memphis, to which the
emperor Artaxerxes III laid siege, forcing the pharaoh to flee
to Upper Egypt, and eventually to Nubia. A brief liberation of
the city under the rebel-king Khababash (338 to 335 BCE) is
evinced by an Apis bull sarcophagus bearing his name, which was
discovered at Saqqara dating from his second year. The armies of
Darius III eventually regained control of the city. Memphis
under the Late Period saw recurring invasions followed by
successive liberations. Several times besieged, it was the scene
of several of the bloodiest battles in the history of the
country. Despite the support of their Greek allies in
undermining the hegemony of the Achaemenids, the country
nevertheless fell into the hands of the conquerors, and Memphis
was never again to become the nation's capital. In 332 BCE came
the Greeks, who took control of the country from the Persians,
and Egypt would never see a new native dynasty ascend the
pharaoh's throne.
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Ptolemaic Period:
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In 332 BCE, Alexander the Great was crowned pharaoh in
the Temple of Ptah, ushering in the Hellenistic period. The city
retained a significant status, especially religious, throughout
the period following the takeover by one of his generals,
Ptolemy. On the death of Alexander in Babylon (323 BCE), Ptolemy
took great pains in acquiring his body and bringing it to
Memphis. Claiming that the king himself had officially expressed
a desire to be buried in Egypt, he then carried the body of
Alexander to the heart of the temple of Ptah, and had him
embalmed by the priests. By custom, kings in Macedon asserted
their right to the throne by burying their predecessor. Ptolemy
II later transferred the sarcophagus to Alexandria, where a
royal tomb was constructed for its burial. The exact location of
the tomb has been lost since then. According to Aelian, the seer
Aristander foretold that the land where Alexander was laid to
rest "would be happy and unvanquishable forever". Thus began the
Ptolemaic dynasty, during which began the city's gradual
decline. It was Ptolemy I who first introduced the cult of
Serapis in Egypt, establishing his cult in Saqqara. From this
period date many developments of the Saqqara Serapeum, including
the building of the Chamber of Poets, as well as the dromos
adorning the temple, and many elements of Greek-inspired
architecture. The cult's reputation extended beyond the borders
of the country, but was later eclipsed by the great Alexandrian
Serapeum, built in Ptolemy's honour by his successors. The
Decrees of Memphis were issued in 216 and 196 BCE, by Ptolemy IV
and Ptolemy V respectively. Delegates from the principal
clergies of the kingdom gathered in synod, under the patronage
of the High Priest of Ptah and in the presence of the pharaoh,
to establish the religious policy of country for years to come,
also dictating fees and taxes, creating new foundations, and
paying tribute to the Ptolemaic rulers. These decrees were
engraved on stelae in three scripts to be read and understood by
all: Demotic, hieroglyphic, and Greek. The most famous of these
stelae is the Rosetta Stone, which allowed the deciphering of
ancient Egyptian script in the 19th century. They were other
stelae, funerary this time, discovered on the site that have
forwarded knowledge of the genealogy of the higher clergy of
Memphis, a dynasty of high priests of Ptah. The lineage retained
strong ties with the royal family in Alexandria, to the extent
that marriages occurred between certain high priests and
Ptolemaic princesses, strengthening even further the commitment
between the two families.
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Decline and Abandonment:
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With the arrival of the Romans, like Thebes, the city
lost its place permanently in favour of Alexandria, which opened
onto the empire. The rise of the cult of Serapis, a syncretic
deity most suited to the mentality of the new rulers of Egypt,
and the emergence of Christianity taking root deep into the
country, spelled the complete ruin of the ancient cults of
Memphis. Gradually, the city dropped out of existence during the
Byzantine and Coptic periods. The city then became a quarry to
build new settlements nearby, including a new capital founded by
the Arabs who took possession in the 7th century. The
foundations of Fustat and later Cairo, both built further north,
were laid with stones of dismantled temples and ancient
necropoleis of Memphis. In the 13th century, the Arab chronicler
Abd-ul-Latif, upon visiting the site, describes and gives
testimony to the grandeur of the ruins of Memphis: “ Enormous as
are the extent and antiquity of this city, in spite of the
frequent change of governments whose yoke it has borne, and the
great pains more than one nation has been at to destroy it, to
sweep its last trace from the face of the earth, to carry away
the stones and materials of which it was constructed, to
mutilate the statues which adorned it; in spite, finally, of all
that more than four thousand years have done in addition to man,
these ruins still offer to the eye of the beholder a mass of
marvels which bewilder the senses and which the most skillful
pens must fail to describe. The more deeply we contemplate this
city the more our admiration rises, and every fresh glance at
the ruins is a fresh source of delight ... The ruins of Memphis
hold a half-day's journey in every direction. ” Although the
remains today are nothing compared to what was witnessed by the
Arab historian, his testimony has inspired the work of many
archaeologists. The first surveys and excavations of the 19th
century, and the extensive work of Flinders Petrie, have been
able to show a little of the ancient capital's former glory.
Memphis and its necropolis, which include funerary rock tombs,
mastabas, temples and pyramids, were inscribed on the World
Heritage List of UNESCO in 1979.
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Remains:
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During the time of the New Kingdom, and especially under
the reign of the rulers of the 19th dynasty, Memphis flourished
in power and size, rivalling Thebes both politically and
architecturally. An indicator of this development can be found
in a chapel of Seti I dedicated to the worship of Ptah. After
over a century of excavations on the site, archaeologists have
gradually been able to confirm the layout and expansion of the
ancient city.
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Great Temple of Ptah:
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The Hout-ka-Ptah (meaning "Castle of the ka of Ptah"),
dedicated to the worship of the creator god Ptah, was the
largest and most important temple in ancient Memphis. It was one
of the most prominent structures in the city, occupying a large
precinct within the city's centre. Enriched by centuries of
veneration, the temple was one of the three foremost places of
worship in Ancient Egypt, the others being the great temples of
Horus in Heliopolis, and of Amun in Thebes. Much of what is
known about the ancient temple today comes from the writings of
Herodotus, who visited the site at the time of the first Persian
invasion, long after the fall of the New Kingdom. Herodotus
claimed that the temple had been founded by Menes himself, and
that the core building of the complex was restricted to priests
and kings. His account, however, gives no physical description
of the complex. Archaeological work undertaken in the last
century has gradually unearthed the temple's ruins, revealing a
huge walled compound accessible by several monumental gates
located along the southern, western and eastern walls. The
remains of the great temple and its premises are displayed as an
open-air museum near the great colossus of Rameses II, which
originally marked the southern axis of the temple. Also in this
sector is a large sphinx monolith, discovered in the 19th
century. It dates from the 18th dynasty, most likely having been
carved during the reign of either Amenhotep II or Thutmose IV.
It is one of the finest examples of this kind statuary still
present on its original site. The outdoor museum houses numerous
other statues, colossi, sphinxes, and architectural elements.
However, the majority of the finds have been sold to major
museums around the world. For the most part, these can be found
on display in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. The specific
appearance of the temple is unclear at present, and only that of
the main access to the perimeter are known. Recent developments
include the discovery of giant statues which adorned the gates
or towers. Those that have been found date from the reign of
Ramsses II. This pharaoh also built at least three shrines
within the temple compound, where worship is associated with
those deities to whom they were dedicated.
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Temple of Ptah of
Ramses II:
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This small temple, adjoining the southwest corner of the
larger Temple of Ptah, was dedicated to the deified Rameses II,
along with the three state gods: Horus, Ptah and Amun. It is
known in full as the Temple of Ptah of Rameses, Beloved of Amun,
God, Ruler of Heliopolis. Its ruins were discovered in 1942 by
archaeologist Ahmed Badawy, and were excavated in 1955 by Rudolf
Anthes. The excavations uncovered a religious building complete
with a tower, a courtyard for ritual offerings, a portico with
columns followed by a pillared hall and a tripartite sanctuary,
all enclosed in walls built of mud bricks. Its most recent
exterior has been dated from the New Kingdom era. The temple
opened to the east towards a path paved with other religious
buildings. The archaeological explorations that took place here
reveal that the southern part of the city indeed contain a large
number of religious buildings with a particular devotion to the
god Ptah, the principal god of Memphis.
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Temple of Ptah and
Sekhmet of Ramses II:
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Located further east, and near to the great colossus of
Rameses, this small temple is attributed to the 19th dynasty,
and seems to have been dedicated to Ptah and his divine consort
Sekhmet, as well as deified Rameses II. Its ruins are not as
well preserved as others nearby, as its limestone foundations
appear to have been quarried after the abandonment of the city
in late antiquity.
Column depicting Merenptah making
an offering to Ptah. Two giant statues, dating from the Middle
Kingdom, originally adorned the building's facade, which opened
to the west. They were moved inside the Museum of Memphis, and
depicted the pharaoh standing in the attitude of the march,
wearing the white crown of Upper Egypt, Hedjet.
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Temple of Ptah of
Merneptah:
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In the southeast of the Great Temple complex, the pharaoh Merneptah, of
the 19th dynasty, founded a new shrine in honour of the chief god of the city,
Ptah. This temple was discovered in the early 20th century by Flinders Petrie,
who identified a depiction of the Greek god Proteus cited by Herodotus. The site
was excavated during the First World War by Clarence Stanley Fisher. Excavations
began in the anterior part, which is formed by a large courtyard of about 15 sq
metres, opening on the south by a large door with reliefs supplying the names of
the pharaoh and the epithets of Ptah. Only this part of the temple has been
unearthed; the remainder of the chamber has yet to be explored a little further
north. During the excavations, archaeologists unearthed the first traces of an
edifice built of mud brick, which quickly proved to be a large ceremonial palace
built alongside the temple proper. Some of the key elements of the stone temple
were donated by Egypt to the museum at the University of Pennsylvania, which
financed the expedition, while the other remained at the Museum in Cairo. The
temple remained in use throughout the rest of the New Kingdom, as evidenced by
enrolment surges during the reigns of later pharaohs. Thereafter, however, it
was gradually abandoned and converted for other uses by civilians. Gradually
buried by the activity of the city, the stratigraphic study of the site shows
that by the Late Period it is already in ruins and is soon covered by new
buildings.
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Temple of Hathor:
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This small temple of Hathor was unearthed south of the
great wall of the Hout-Ka-Ptah by Abdullah al-Sayed Mahmud in
the 1970s and also dates from the time of Rameses II. Dedicated
to the goddess Hathor, Lady of the Sycamore, it presents an
architecture similar to the small temple-shrines known
especially to Karnak. From its proportions, it does not seem to
be major shrine of the goddess, but is currently the only
building dedicated to her discovered in the city's ruins. It is
believed that this shrine was primarily used for processional
purposes during major religious festivals. A larger temple
dedicated to Hathor, indeed one of the foremost shrines of the
goddess in the country, is thought to have existed elsewhere in
the city, but to date has not been discovered. A depression,
similar to that found near the great temple of Ptah, could
indicate its location. Archaeologists believe that it could
house the remains of an enclosure and a large monument, a theory
attested by ancient sources.
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Sekhmet Temple:
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A temple dedicated to the goddess Sekhmet, consort of
Ptah, has not yet been found but is currently certified by
Egyptian sources. It may be located within the precinct of the
Hout-ka-Ptah, as would seem to suggest several discoveries made
among the ruins of the complex in the late 19th century,
including a block of stone evoking the "great door" with the
epithet of the goddess, and a column bearing an inscription on
behalf of Rameses II declaring him "beloved of Sekhmet". It has
also been demonstrated through the Great Harris Papyrus, which
states that a statue of the goddess was made alongside those of
Ptah and their son, the god Nefertem, during the reign of
Rameses III, and that it was commissioned for the gods of
Memphis at the heart of the great temple.
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Temple
of Apis:
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The Temple of Apis in Memphis was the main temple dedicated to the
worship of the bull Apis, considered to be a living manifestation of Ptah. It is
detailed in the works of classical historians such as Herodotus, Diodorus, and
Strabo, but its location has yet to be discovered amidst the ruins of the
ancient capital. According to Herodotus, who described the temple's courtyard as
a peristyle of columns with giant statues, it was built during the reign of
Psammetichus I. The Greek historian Strabo visited the site with the conquering
Roman troops, following the victory against Cleopatra at Actium. He details that
the temple consisted of two chambers, one for the bull and the other for his
mother, and all was built near the temple of Ptah. At the temple, Apis was used
as an oracle, his movements being interpreted as prophecies. His breath was
believed to cure disease, and his presence to bless those around with virility.
He was given a window in the temple through which he could be seen, and on
certain holidays was led through the streets of the city, bedecked with
jewellery and flowers. In 1941, the archaeologist Ahmed Badawy discovered the
first remains in Memphis which depicted the god Apis. The site, located within
the grounds of the great temple of Ptah, was revealed to be a mortuary chamber
designed exclusively for the embalming of the sacred bull. A stele found at
Saqqara shows that Nectanebo II had ordered the restoration of this building,
and elements dated from the 30th dynasty have been unearthed in the northern
part of the chamber, confirming the time of reconstruction in this part of the
temple. It is likely that the mortuary was part of the larger temple of Apis cited by ancient sources. This sacred part of the temple would be the
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only part that has
survived, and would confirm the words of Strabo and Diodorus, both
of whom stated that the temple was located near the
temple of Ptah.Ankhefenmut kneels before the royal cartouche of
Siamun, on a lintel from the Temple of Amun in Memphis.
The majority of known Apis statues come from the burial
chambers known as Serapeum, located to the northwest at
Saqqara. The most ancient burials found at this site
date back to the reign of Amenhotep III.
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Temple of Amun:
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During the 21st dynasty, a shrine of the great
god Amun was built by Siamun to the south of the temple
of Ptah. This temple (or temples) was most likely
dedicated to the Theban Triad, consisting of Amun, his
consort Mut, and their son Khonsu. It was the Upper
Egyptian counterpart of the Memphis Triad (Ptah,
Sekhmet, and Nefertem).
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Temple of Aten:
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A temple dedicated to Aten in Memphis is
attested by hieroglyphs found within the tombs of
Memphite dignitaries of the end of the 18th dynasty,
uncovered at Saqqara. Among them, that of Tutankhamun,
who began his career under the reign of Akhenaten as a
"steward of the temple of Aten in Memphis". Since the
early excavations at Memphis in the late 19th and early
20th centuries, artefacts have been uncovered in
different parts of the city that indicate the presence
of a building dedicated to the worship of the sun disc.
The location of such a building is lost, and various
hypotheses have been made on this subject based on the
place of discovery of the remains of the Amarna period
features.
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Statues
of Ramses II:
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The ruins of ancient Memphis have yielded a large number of sculptures
representing the pharaoh Rameses II. Within the museum in
Memphis is a giant statue of the pharaoh carved of monumental limestone, about
10 metres in length. It was discovered in 1820 near the southern gate of the
temple of Ptah by Italian archaeologist Giovanni Caviglia. Because the bottom of
the sculpture has been broken off, it is currently displayed lying on its back.
Some of the colours are still partially preserved, but the beauty of this statue
lies in its flawless detail of the complex and subtle forms of human anatomy.
The pharaoh wears the white crown of Upper Egypt, Hedjet. Caviglia offered the
statue to Grand Duke of Tuscany, Leopold II, through the mediation of Ippolito
Rosellini. Rosellini advised the sovereign of the terrible expenses involved
with transportation, and considered as necessary the cutting of the
colossus into
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pieces. The British viceroy Muhammad Ali offered
for it to be donated to the British Museum, but the
museum declined the offer because of the difficult task
of shipping the huge statue to London. It therefore
remained in the archaeological area of Memphis in the
museum built to protect it. The colossus was one of a
pair that historically adorned the eastern entrance to
the temple of Ptah. The other, found in the same year
also by Caviglia, was restored in the 1950s to its full
standing height of 11 metres. It was first displayed in
the Bab Al-Hadid square in Cairo, which was subsequently
renamed Ramses Square. Deemed an unsuitable location, it
was moved in 2006 to a temporary location in Giza, where
it is currently undergoing restoration. It is due to be
exhibited at the entrance of the Grand Egyptian Museum,
scheduled to open in 2010. A replica of the statues
stands in the suburb of Heliopolis, in Cairo.
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