Learn about the city of Memphis and its place through various periods of ancient Egyptian history.
Throughout all ancient Egyptian periods, cities had one thing in common. They were situated along the Nile's shores.
Cities were often designated for government or for worship. Major cities had several temples dedicated to numerous gods and goddesses.
Egyptians referred to the organization of their cities as a sepal, or later by the Persian term, nome. There were twenty sepat in Lower Egypt and twenty-two in Upper Egypt.
The capital city of ancient Egypt changed many times over the periods.
One of the largest was Memphis, Located in Lower Egypt. It was a key center for religious temples, including their most important deity, Ptah, god of creation.
Thebes, located in Upper Egypt, competed with Memphis and featured as both a political and a religious center. Two important temples, Luxor and Karnak, were built there.
A minor capital of the Saite dynasty was the city of Sais. This was the last native Egyptian capital of Egypt.
During the 3rd Dynasty, under Pharaoh Djoser, Memphis became the first religious and administrative capital of Egypt.
Even when the political capital of Egypt decentralized itself, pharaohs were crowned in this sacred city in order to legitimize their ascension to the throne, up to and including, Alexander the Great.
Though little remains today save ruins south of Cairo, we can guess at the structure of the city, which stretched up to 5 kilometers in length and 2 kilometers in width.
Memphis was also referred to as "the city with the hundred doors" or "the white walls". These names were in reference to the wall which surrounded the city.
Under the protection of Ptah, god of craftsmen, the city was a thriving religious and economic hub.