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91-506: Several rulers have been identified as belonging to Fratarakā dynasty (from the title prtrk' zy alhaya , or "governor of the gods" on their coins): bgdt ( Baydād ), rtḥštry (Ardaxšīr I), whwbrz ( Vahbarz , who is called Oborzos in Polyenus 7.40), and wtprdt ( Vādfradād I ). Traditionally, they used to be considered as independent, anti-Seleucid rulers of Persis in the 3rd century BC. It seems however that they were rather representatives of

182-501: A Persian uprising in the sources for the 3rd century BCE. On the contrary, various sources, such as the account of the visit of Antiochus III to the city of Antiochia in Persis in 205 BCE, as well as archaeological evidence, seem to suggest continuous Seleucid rule in the region. It seems that the area became independent from Seuleucid power between 200-150 BCE, before the Parthian conquest of

273-516: A Zoroastrian fire-altar, or seated in majesty holding a staff of authority and possibly a pomegranate in his left hand ( illustration, left ). In his coinage, Bagadates has his portrait on the obverse, wearing the satrapal headdress and the Hellenistic diadem. On the reverse, he is either shown enthroned, or making his devotions to a fire temple. The weight standard of the coins is the Attic standard , and

364-562: A decline during the Third Intermediate Period , which saw great changes in the geopolitics of the country. Instead it is likely that the kings worked to develop the Memphite cult in their new capital of Tanis , to the northeast. In light of some 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 , the remains of which were found by Flinders Petrie in

455-618: A loanword. This interpretation suggest that the rulers in question were priest-kings, whose role was mainly to maintain the sacred fire in Persepolis . Alternatively the title may be derived from the Aramaic prlrk , used to designate an Achaemenid official in Egypt, a subordinate to a Satrap, equivalent to a "prefect, governor" who would have own his position to the Seleucids. The rulers are depicted wearing

546-459: A mythical king, similar to Romulus of Rome. Some scholars suggest that Egypt most likely became unified through mutual need, developing cultural ties and trading partnerships, although it is undisputed that the first capital of united Egypt was the city of Memphis. Some Egyptologists had identified the legendary Menes with the historical Narmer , who is represented on the Palette of Narmer conquering

637-485: A number of its brown quartzite blocks were found to have been reused by Ramesses II (r. 1279–1213 BC) 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. According to inscriptions found in Memphis, Akhenaten (r. 1353/51–1336/34 BC; formerly Amenhotep IV) founded a temple of Aten in the city. The burial chamber of one of

728-463: 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. With the Twenty-first and Twenty-second Dynasties , there is a continuation of the religious development initiated by Ramesses. Memphis does not seem to have suffered

819-602: 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 deities of Memphis. Moreover, many statues found at the site, later restored by the New Kingdom kings, are attributed to kings of the Twelfth Dynasty . Examples include the two stone giants that have been recovered amidst

910-713: A short jacket over tunic and trousers, and they wear the satrapal tiara that had been in use on the coinage of the satraps of the Achaemenid Empire, and in addition they wear the Hellenic diadem of a ruler. There are many controversies and debates about the origin, datings and sequence of the Frataraka rulers. Hill was the first to catalog and study them and he opted for the same dates as Herzfeld, namely to early 3rd BC. But Alram and historian Wiesehofer all pointed to later dating iconographically and epigraphically, and also based on

1001-463: A strategic position at the mouth of the Nile Delta , and was home to bustling activity. Its principal port, Peru-nefer (not to be confused with Peru-nefer at Avaris ), 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 centre for commerce, trade, and religion. Memphis

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1092-433: 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. The founding of the temple of Astarte (Mespotamian or Assyrian goddess of fertility and war; Babylonian = Ishtar), which Herodotus syncretically understands

1183-727: Is also attested in the Achaemenid -era. The Achaemenid Empire, which had a century earlier ruled most of the Near East , originated from the region. The frataraka themselves emphasized their close affiliation with the prominent Achaemenid King of Kings , and their court was probably at the former Achaemenid capital of Persepolis , where they financed construction projects on and near the Achaemenid plateau. The frataraka had traditionally been regarded as priestly dynasts or advocates of religious (and political) opposition to Hellenism , however, this

1274-494: Is called Moph . The Muslim tradition adopted the Coptic etymology which operates with an etymon Māfah , derived from Coptic : ⲙⲁⲁⲃ , lit.   'thirty'. It made the number significant in the following traditions relating to Memphis: it was thirty miles long, Manqāwus built it for his thirty daughters and Baysar lived here with his thirty children. The city of Memphis is 20 km (12 mi) south of Cairo , on

1365-446: 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 was diminished after the abandonment of the ancient religion following the Edict of Thessalonica (380 AD), which made Nicene Christianity the sole religion of

1456-632: Is dedicated to the Greek goddess Aphrodite , also may be dated to the Eighteenth Dynasty, specifically the reign of Amenhotep III (r. 1388/86–1351/1349 BC). The greatest work of this king 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

1547-638: Is during their rule that the Greek words "drachma" and "denanos" entered the Persian language, to become today's " dirham " and " denar ". The Fratarakas essentially followed the example of their Seleucid overlords in striking coins. Several of their coins were further struck on issues of the Seleucids, or posthumous issues of Alexander the Great . It seems that the coinage of the Fratarakas was mainly issued for purposes of prestige, rather than just monetary circulation, which

1638-402: Is no longer considered the case. The traditional view of the chronology of the frataraka dynasts was originally; Baydad, Ardakhshir I , Wahbarz , Wadfradad I and Wadfradad II . However, recent findings of Persis coins have led to more a likely chronology; Ardakhshir I, Wahbarz, Wadfradad I, Baydad and Wadfradad II. On the reverse of his coins, Bagadates is depicted standing in front of

1729-652: Is open to the public as an open-air museum . According to legends related in the early third century BC by Manetho , a priest and historian who lived in the Ptolemaic Kingdom during the Hellenistic period of ancient Egypt , the city was founded by King Menes . It was the capital of ancient Egypt ( Kemet or Kumat ) during both the Early Dynastic Period and Old Kingdom and remained an important city throughout ancient Egyptian history . It occupied

1820-577: The Achaemenids or Seleucids . The evidence for the quasi-autonomous local governors that were the Fratarakas is almost exclusively coming from their coinage. The Achaemenids only struck coins in the western parts of the Achaemenid Empire , mostly in Asia Minor where a coinage culture had already existing before their arrival. The Seleucid were the first one to strike coins in the area of Persis. It

1911-576: The Babylonians , reconstructed and even fortified structures in the city, as is attested by the palace built by Apries at Kom Tuman. Egypt and Memphis were taken for Persia by king Cambyses in 525 BC after the Battle of Pelusium . 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

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2002-465: The Battle of Magnesia at that time. Pliny writes: " Noumenios , who was made governor of Mesene by king Antiochos, while fighting against the Persians, defeated them at sea, and at low water, by land, with an army of cavalry, on the same day; in memory of which event he erected a twofold trophy on the same spot, in honour of Jupiter and Neptune" During an apparent transitional period, corresponding to

2093-529: The Palermo Stone , and beginning from the reign of Menkaura , we know the names of the high priests of Memphis who seem to have worked 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

2184-452: The Sed festival were celebrated in the temple of Ptah. The earliest signs of such ceremonies were found in the chambers of Djoser . During this period, the clergy of the temple of Ptah came into being. The importance of the temple is attested with payments of food and other goods necessary for the funerary rites of royal and noble dignitaries. This temple also is cited in the annals preserved on

2275-558: The Seleucids in the region of Fārs . They ruled from the end of the 3rd century BC to the beginning of the 2nd century BC, and Vahbarz or Vādfradād obtained independence circa 150 BC, when Seleucid power waned in the areas of southwestern Persia and the Persian Gulf region. Alternatively, they may have ruled between circa 295 and 220 BC, until the Seleucid briefly took back direct control of

2366-483: The Twenty-ninth 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

2457-422: The tetradrachm is the usual coin size, as was the usual case in the Seleucid empire. The coins are inscribed in Aramaic with the name of the ruler. Memphis, Egypt Memphis ( Arabic : مَنْف , romanized :  Manf , pronounced [mænf] ; Bohairic Coptic : ⲙⲉⲙϥⲓ ; Greek : Μέμφις ), or Men-nefer , was the ancient capital of Inebu-hedj , the first nome of Lower Egypt that

2548-514: The Achaemenid monarchy. The stelae 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

2639-450: The Kushite king was driven back into Nubia . The Assyrian king Esarhaddon , supported by some of the native Egyptian princes, captured Memphis in 671 BC. 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

2730-403: 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 king. 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 before being ritually mummified . A necropolis for

2821-500: The Persian dynasts in office and they were allowed to continue minting coins with the title of mlk ("King"). With the reign of Šāpuhr , the son of Pāpag , the kingdom of Persis then became a part of the Sasanian Empire . Šābuhr's brother and successor, Ardaxšir (Artaxerxes) V, defeated the last legitimate Parthian king, Artabanos V in 224 CE, and was crowned at Ctesiphon as Ardaxšir I (Ardashir I), šāhanšāh ī Ērān , becoming

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2912-517: 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 nineteenth century. There were other stelae, funerary this time, discovered on the site that have forwarded knowledge of the genealogy of

3003-544: The Roman empire. By the Middle Ages , nearby Cairo had emerged as a major political and economic center. Today, the ruins of the former capital offer fragmented evidence of its past. Many of its remains have become significant tourist destinations. Memphis has had several names during its history of almost four millennia. Its Ancient Egyptian name was Inebu-hedj (𓊅𓌉, translated as "the white walls" ). Because of its size,

3094-524: 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 chapels in the southwest corner of the temple of Ptah. Memphis was 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

3185-479: 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 Eighteenth Dynasty with the rise of Thebes and the New Kingdom, but was revived under the Persians , before falling firmly into second place following

3276-808: 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 Twenty-fifth Dynasty , whose seat of power was in Napata . Piankhi's conquest of Egypt was recorded on the Victory Stele at

3367-536: The Two Lands"), stressing the strategic position of the city between Upper Egypt 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 that of an area that contained a sacred tree, the western district of the city that lay between the great Temple of Ptah and the necropolis at Saqqara . At

3458-492: The ancient Egyptian later name for Memphis mjt-rhnt meaning "Road of the Ram-Headed Sphinxes" being a reference to the ancient causeway connecting Memphis and Saqqara, on which the procession of the dead bull travelled for burial in the Serapeum of Saqqara , but its been rejected by numerous Egyptologists on the basis of the town's earlier name Minyat Rahina ( Arabic : منية رهينة ), which could possibly be derived from

3549-436: The area. The first ruler of the Fratarakas would have been subordinate to the Seleucids (their coins are in the Seleucid weight standard, and some of their symbolism is related to the Seleucids, such as the holding of a Seuleucid scepter rather than an Achaemenid one), before obtaining some kind of independence from the time of Vahbarz or Vadfradad I (when their coinage starts to show a depiction of Khvarnah or Ahura Mazda on

3640-575: The beginning of the New Kingdom (c. 1550 BC), the city became known as mn-nfr (anglicized as Men-nefer , meaning "enduring and beautiful"), which became " Memfi " ( ⲙⲉⲙϥⲓ ) in Bohairic Coptic . The name " Memphis " ( Μέμφις ) is the Greek adaptation of the name that they had given to the pyramid of Pepi I , located west of the city. Some claim that modern town Mit Rahina received its name from

3731-471: The city also came to be known by various other names that were 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 as Djed-Sut ("everlasting places"), which is the name of the pyramid of Teti . At one point the city was referred to as Ankh-Tawy (meaning "Life of

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3822-617: The city of Memphis came under siege. Following its capture, many monuments and statues of the ancient capital were dismantled, looted, or damaged by the Hyksos kings, who later carried them off to adorn their new capital at Avaris . Evidence of royal propaganda has been uncovered and attributed to the Theban kings of the Seventeenth Dynasty , who initiated the reconquest of the kingdom half a century later. The Eighteenth Dynasty thus opened with

3913-568: 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

4004-515: The city's population to have numbered approximately 6,000 inhabitants during the Old Kingdom. During the Early Dynastic Period and Old Kingdom, Memphis became the capital of Ancient Egypt for more than six consecutive dynasties . The city reached a peak of prestige under the Sixth Dynasty as a centre for the worship of Ptah , the god of creation and artworks. The alabaster sphinx that guards

4095-455: 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

4186-626: The coinage of the Fratrakas was issued in Susa , rather than Persepolis as traditionally held. He also attributed them to the period circa 295 - circa 220 BCE, and considers them as independent rulers by divine right, rather than administrators for the Seleukids. The first date of 295 BCE corresponds to the destruction of Pasargadae , which marks the end of Seleucid coinage in Susa. The end date of 220 BCE corresponds to

4277-471: The coins, shows that these coins had a role as "Persid religio-political propaganda". The Aramaic script used in the coins is quite unclear, which brings uncertainties to their reading. Even the title used by the Fratarakas prtkr* or prtdr’ is uncertain. The root word for this title has been interpreted as coming from *frat ("fire"), on the basis of the Armenian word hrat , which probably entered Iranian as

4368-421: 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. At the beginning of the Middle Kingdom , the capital and court of

4459-510: 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 BC, who ended the Persian occupation. He was defeated and executed at Memphis in October 399 BC by Nepherites I , founder of

4550-473: The early twentieth century, in the south of the temple of Ptah complex. According to inscriptions describing his architectural work, Sheshonk I (r. 943–922 BC), founder of the Twenty-second Dynasty, constructed a forecourt and pylon of the temple of Ptah, a monument that he named the "Castle of Millions of Years of Sheshonk, Beloved of Amun". The funerary cult surrounding this monument, well known in

4641-403: 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 Ramses 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

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4732-599: The existence of Frataraka coins with Seleucus I victories and trophy coins which were issued by him during 305-301 BC. If we take the circulation average of 20 years, we reach to 285-280 BC and that year coincides with his death, and his replacement by his co-regent and son Antiochus I. There were no other coins from other Seleucid rulers discovered with Frataraka hoards suggesting the Frataraka got became semi-independent and started to strike their coins instead. The significant number of undertype of Seleucus I on coins of Frataraka rulers also point out to their closeness to first

4823-614: The first Seleucid king and some early Seleucid influences both in iconography and typology of their coins shows they were ruling Persis earlier than 2nd BC. Some authors have dated the rule of the Fratarakas to the 3rd century BCE, with a starting point circa 280 BCE under ruler Bagadates corresponding to a supposed Persian uprising leading to the destruction of the Tall-e Takht citadel of Pasargadae that same year. According to B. Kritt in The Early Seleucid Mint of Susa (1997),

4914-569: The first king of the new Sasanian Empire . During the Achaemenid Empire , frataraka was a title given to the head of a district or province in Egypt , who was junior in hierarchy to the satrap in Memphis, Egypt . During the time of Seleucid and Parthian Empires, the Aramaic on their coins suggest, depending on interpretation, that they served either deities such as Ahura Mazda or god-like kings such as

5005-421: The footprint of the ancient city is uninhabited. The closest modern settlement is the town of Mit Rahina. Estimates of historical population size differ widely among sources. According to Tertius Chandler , Memphis had some 30,000 inhabitants and was by far the largest settlement worldwide from the time of its foundation until approximately 2250 BC and from 1557 to 1400 BC. K. A. Bard is more cautious and estimates

5096-515: The founder of the city. Alternatively, Epaphus (king of Egypt, whose wife was Memphis ) is regarded in the Greek myths as the founder of Memphis, Egypt. Little is known about the city of the Old Kingdom and before. It was the state capital of the powerful kings, who reigned from Memphis from the date of the First Dynasty . According to Manetho, during the earliest years of the reign of Menes,

5187-535: The founding 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 (or Fostat) in 641 AD. Afterward it was largely abandoned and became a source of stone for the surrounding settlements. It was still an imposing set of ruins in the twelfth century, but soon became little more than an expanse of low ruins and scattered stone. The legend recorded by Manetho

5278-535: The high priests of Memphis dating precisely from the Twenty-second Dynasty has been found west of the forum. It included a chapel dedicated to Ptah by a prince Shoshenq , son of Osorkon II (r. 872–837 BC), whose tomb was found in Saqqara in 1939 by Pierre Montet . The chapel is currently visible in the gardens of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, behind a trio of colossi of Ramesses II, which are also from Memphis. During

5369-406: 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 Thirteenth Dynasty continued this trend, and some kings 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 BC,

5460-454: The king had moved to Thebes in the south, leaving Memphis for a time. Although the seat of political power had shifted, Memphis did remain 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

5551-420: The king left, Egypt rebelled against Assyrian rule. In Assyria, Ashurbanipal succeeded his father and resumed the offensive against Egypt. In a massive invasion in 664 BC, 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 kings , who, fearful of an invasion from

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5642-439: The kings of Macedonia, but now to the kings of the Parthians. Pliny relates a battle between Noumenios , a Seleucid general and satrap of the Province of Mesene ( Characene ), and the Persians sometime in the 3rd or the 2nd century BCE. Pliny describes the current Seleucid ruler as being "Antiochos", but it is unknown which one he is referring to. This event is often used to describe some kind of adversary relationship between

5733-415: The name of a Bedouin tribe. While attempting to draw ancient Egyptian history and religious elements into that of their own traditions, the Greek poet Hesiod in his Theogony explained the name of the city by saying that Memphis was a daughter of the Greek river god Nilus and the wife of Epaphus (the son of Zeus and Io ), who founded the city and named it after his wife. In the Bible, Memphis

5824-410: The nation's capital. In 332 BC came the Greeks, who took control of the country from the Persians, and Egypt would never see a new native ruler ascend the throne until the Egyptian Revolution of 1952 . In 332 BC, Alexander the Great was crowned king in the Temple of Ptah, ushering in the Hellenistic period . The city retained a significant status, especially religious, throughout the period following

5915-486: The nearby port of Peru-nefer (literally, "Good Travels" or " Bon Voyage ") 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

6006-557: The priests of this cult has been uncovered at Saqqara. His successor Tutankhamun (r. 1332–1323 BC; formerly Tutankhaten) relocated the royal court from Akhenaten's capital Akhetaten ("Horizon of the Aten") 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 era of Atenism , which became regarded as heresy . The tombs of important officials from his reign, such as Horemheb and Maya , are situated in Saqqara, although Horemheb

6097-506: The recovery of the country by the Persians, he succumbed to an invasion in 340 BC. Nectanebo II retreated south to Memphis, to which the Achaemenid king Artaxerxes III laid siege, forcing the king to flee to Upper Egypt, and eventually to Nubia. A brief liberation of the city under the rebel-king Khababash (338 to 335 BC) 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

6188-443: The region of Persis under the Seleucid satrap Alexander , circa 220 BC. Some authors consider that Persis remained under the control of the Seleucids throughout the 3rd century. Antiochus III is known to have visited Antiochia in Persis in 205 BC. Strabo relates that Persian rulers were tributaries to the Greeks, before falling under the control of the Parthians: The Persians have kings who are subject to other kings, formerly of

6279-472: The reigns of Vādfradād II and another uncertain king, no titles of authority appeared on the reverse of their coins. The earlier title prtrk' zy alhaya (Frataraka) had disappeared. Under Dārēv I however, the new title of mlk , or king, appeared, sometimes with the mention of prs (Persis), suggesting that the kings of Persis had become independent rulers. When the Parthian Arsacid king Mithridates I (ca. 171-138 BC) took control of Persis , he left

6370-456: The reverse, on top of the fire temple). The Fratarakas were succeeded by the Kings of Persis . Bayd%C4%81d Baydad (also spelled Bagdates ), was a dynast ( frataraka ) of Persis from 164 to 146 BC. Since the end of the 3rd or the beginning of the 2nd century BCE, Persis had been ruled by local dynasts subject to the Seleucid Empire . They held the ancient Persian title of frataraka ("leader, governor, forerunner"), which

6461-404: The royal funerary chamber, housing all the elements necessary to royalty: temples, shrines, ceremonial courts, palaces, and barracks. The golden age began with the Fourth 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

6552-417: The royal tombs. 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 Sixth Dynasty . Memphis was then the heir to a long artistic and architectural practice, constantly encouraged by the monuments of preceding reigns. All these necropoleis were surrounded by camps inhabited by craftsmen and labourers, dedicated exclusively to

6643-521: The ruler of Persis and the Seleucid Empire during the 3rd or 2nd centuries BCE, and possibly a fight for independence. The rulers of Persis may have gained independence between 205 BCE, when Antiochos III visited Antiochia in Persis in peace, and 190-189 BCE, the latest possible date for the battle led by Noumenios if the Antiochos in question is indeed Antiochos III, since the latter was defeated at

6734-511: The seamless continuation of their coinage from the first series to second and so on. They argued that they ruled by late 2nd century BC and ended by mid 2nd century BC after Parthia conquered Persia . Some scholars such as Museler, Sarkhosh Curtis, Hoover, Engles and Mahdi TF Ahrabi believe they have started ruling by 3rd century BC, and there is plenty of evidence produced by researchers pointing to it. First, there are couple of hoards discovered by Herzfeld since 1930s, which until now are showing

6825-489: The seat of power was farther to the south, at Thinis . According to Manetho, ancient sources suggest the "white walls" (Ineb-hedj) or "fortress of the white wall" were founded by Menes. It is likely that the king established himself there to better control the new union between the two kingdoms that formerly were rivals. The complex of Djoser of the Third Dynasty , located in the ancient necropolis at Saqqara , would then be

6916-464: The six daughters of Akhenaten and Nefertiti. Her fate is unknown. Similarly, Horemheb consolidated power when he married Nefertiti's sister Mutnodjemet. There is evidence that, under Ramesses II , the city developed new importance in the political sphere through its proximity to the new capital Pi-Ramesses . The king devoted many monuments in Memphis and adorned them with colossal symbols of glory. Merneptah (r. 1213–1203 BC), his successor, constructed

7007-516: The takeover by one of his generals, Ptolemy I . 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 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

7098-426: The temple ruins, which were later restored under the name of Rameses II. Finally, according to the tradition recorded by Herodotus, and Diodorus , Amenemhat III built the northern gate of the Temple of Ptah. Remains attributed to this king 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

7189-566: The territory of the Nile Delta in Lower Egypt and establishing himself as king. This palette has been dated to ca. 31st century BC and thus, would correlate with the legend of Egypt's unification by Menes. However, in 2012 an inscription depicting the visit of the predynastic king Iry-Hor to Memphis was discovered in the Sinai. Since Iry-Hor predates Narmer by two generations, the latter cannot have been

7280-466: 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

7371-514: The time when, according to Polybius , the Seleucid satrap Alexander became satrap of satrap of Persis. His brother, the Seleucid usurper Molon , was in the meantime satrap of Media . However, the coinage of the Fratarakas is very close to that of the Kings of Persis , which suggest the 2nd century BCE as a more probable period, after the rule of the Satrap of Persis Alexander . There is also no mention of

7462-497: The victory over the invaders by the Thebans. Some Eighteenth Dynasty kings, particularly Amenhotep II (r. 1427–1401/1397 BC) and Thutmose IV (r. 1401/1397–1391/1388 BC) gave considerable royal focus to Memphis, but for the most part, power remained 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 made

7553-537: 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 Egypt and Lower Egypt. (The 22nd nome of Upper Egypt and 1st nome of Lower Egypt). Today,

7644-431: Was actually very limited. The honorific "of the gods" (Aramaic zy Thy ) on their coinage may be related to the Seleucid practice of deifying their kings. The coinage of the Fratrakas combines Seleucid and Achaemenid iconography. The language used in the legends on the coins is Aramaic , one of the official languages of the Achaemenid Empire, rather than Greek. This, as well as the clearly Zoroastrian iconography of

7735-399: Was believed to be under the protection of the god Ptah , the patron of craftsmen. Its great temple , Hut-ka-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 Aἴγυπτoς (Ai-gy-ptos) by Manetho, is believed to be the etymological origin of the modern English name Egypt . The history of Memphis

7826-505: Was buried in the Valley of the Kings after reigning as king himself (r. 1319–1292 BC). He had been commander of the army under Tutankhamun and Ay . Maya was overseer of the treasury during the reigns of Tutankhamun, Ay, and Horemheb. Ay had been Tutankhamun's chief minister, and succeeded him as king (r. 1323–1319 BC). To consolidate his power he married Tutankhamun's widow Ankhesenamun , the third of

7917-442: 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

8008-431: Was known as mḥw ("North"). Its ruins are located in the vicinity of the present-day village of Mit Rahina (Arabic: ميت رهينة ), in markaz ( county ) Badrashin , Giza , Egypt . Along with the pyramid fields that stretch on a desert plateau for more than 30 kilometres (19 mi) on its west, including the famous Pyramids of Giza , Memphis and its necropolis have been listed as a World Heritage Site . The site

8099-609: 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 BC, 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 king, to establish the religious policy of the country for years to come, also dictating fees and taxes, creating new foundations, and paying tribute to

8190-454: 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 Persian satrapy of Egypt ("Mudraya"/"Musraya"), officially becoming one of the epicentres of commerce in the vast territory conquered by

8281-520: Was that Menes , the first king 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 . It has been theorised that Menes may have been

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