The designation of the ancient capital
- Memphis ( pronounced : Manf ... was the first ancient capital of Egypt . Its ruins are located near the town of Mit Rahina , 20 km south of Giza in Greater Cairo .
- The city was founded by the Pharaoh Menes . It was the Capital of ancient Egypt during the Old Kingdom and remained an important city throughout ancient Egyptian history .
- It occupied a strategic position at the mouth of the Nile Delta , and was home to bustling activity. Its principal port , Peru-nefer , featured a high density of workshops, factories, and warehouses that distributed food and merchandise throughout the ancient Kingdom. During its golden age , Memphis thrived as a regional center for commerce , trade , and religion.
- Memphis was believed to be under the protection of the god Ptah , the patron of craftsmen . Its great temple , Hut-aka-Ptah ( meaning “ Enclosure of the Ka of Ptah “ ) , was one of the most prominent structures in the city . The name of this temple , rendered in Greek as ( 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 have been due to the loss of its economic significance in late antiquity, following the rise of coastal Alexandria . Its religious significance also diminished after the abandonment of the ancient religion.
- The ruins of the former capital today offer fragmented evidence of its 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.
- 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 center 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 after the 18th Dynasty with the rise of Thebes and the New Kingdom but was revived under the Persians , before falling firmly into second place following thfounding of Alexandria.
- Under the Roman Empire , Alexandria remained the most important Egyptian city . Memphis remained the second city of Egypt until the establishment of Fustat in 641 CE .
Afterwards it was 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..
- 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 , rivaling 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 .
Statue Pharaoh Rameses II
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| Statue Pharaoh Rameses II |
- The ruins of ancient Memphis have yielded a large number of sculptures representing Pharaoh Rameses II .
- Within the museum in Memphis is a giant statue of the pharaoh carved of monumental limestone, about 10 meters in length.
- It was discovered in 1820 near the southern gate of the temple of Ptah by Italian archaeologist Giovanni Caviglia .
- Because the base and feet of the sculpture are broken off from the rest of the body , it is currently displayed lying on its back .
- Some of the colors 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.
- Caviglia offered to send 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 pieces .
- The Wali and self-declared Khedive of Egypt and Sudan , Muhammad Ali Pasha , offered to donate it 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 1950 to its full standing height of 11 meters .
- 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 2020 . A replica of the statues stands in Cairo’s suburb of Heliopolis .
Menufer
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| Alabaster Sphinx |
- Of Amunofis 2nd 4,5 ...m high and 8 m long that once flanked the entrance to the temple of Path , is one of the largest in existence made from a single block .
-Now very little remains today of the ancient capital of Menufer « Called Memphis « by the Greeks the city where Phoenicians, Judeans , Armenians , Greek , Libyans and Sudanese each had their quarter which extended over 15 km between Giza and Saqqara with the citadel of the white walls at its center .
-Perhaps began by the great architect Imhotep and with a wealth of temples and sanctuaries dedicated to all the gods of the ancient world.
-The decline began with the Creation of Alexandria and by the 4th century A.D, it was already a mass of ruins .
-with the rise of Cairo the few temples left standing because they had been used as Christian churches were demolished and the entire area became a building site for The new City.
-Today nothing is left but a few ruins that came to light in the excavations that began in the 19th century.
-The most important are those of the famous temple of Ptah , where the pharaohs were crowned and a chapel of SETI I , both located near the present village of Saqqara .
- The imposing colossus of Rameses second
One of the gigantic statues 13 m , high statue that originally stood in front of the pylons of the temple of Ptah .
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