Ancient Memphis City

Location	Google map and photos 29.85N - 31.26E Lower Egypt - at the apex of the Nile Delta 18 km south of Modern Cairo West bank of Nile The modern cities and towns of Mit Rahina, Dahshur, Saqqara, Abusir and Abu Gorab, south of Cairo, all lie within the administrative borders of historical Memphis
Nome	White fortress - the 1st Nome of Lower Egypt
Type of Settlement	Capital City
Necropolis	Saqqara - the favorite burial place for Pharaohs of the 3rd and 5th Dynasties Giza Plateau - 4th Dynasty Serapeum - Galleries of tombs of the ' Apis Bulls', situated near Zoser's Step Pyramid at Saqqara
Local deity	The Holy Triad consisted of the god Ptah, his wife Sekhmet and their son Nefertum, who was later replaced by Imhotep in 525 BC.
Ancient name	Ineb Hedj - The White Walls
Historical Development	1- Early Dynastic Period - Founded around 3100 BC. by Menes, the first Pharaoh of united Egypt. 2- Old Kingdom - capital city of Egypt, Memphis had some 30,000 inhabitants and was by far the largest settlement worldwide 3- Middle Kingdom - It declined briefly during the 12th and 13th Dynasties which had their Capital at Fayum. 4- New Kingdom - Memphis remained important as Lower Egypt Capital during the dominance of Thebes 5- Late Kingdom - Became the seat of the Persian satraps, during the 27th Dynasty. When Herodotus visited the city in the 5th century BC, he found many Greeks, Jews, Phoenicians and Libyans amoung the population 6- Ptolemaic Period - Second only to Alexandria under the Ptolemies and under Rome 7- It finally declined with the founding of nearby Fustat by the Arabs, . It was largely abandoned and its ruins were largely removed for building in the new city and later Cairo
Monuments	a) The remains of the temple of Ptah b) The palace of Apries c) Two huge statues of Ramses II