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Main article: Egypt
2020
1978
British occupation
Main article: History of Egypt
1943
Main article: World War II
1938
1931
1930
1915
1897
1881: Map of the Nile
1871
1860
1850: Excavation of the large sphinx
642: Arab conquest of Egypt. Memphis' ultimate decline
The conquest of Egypt by Arab forces in 642, as well as the founding of al-Fustat and later al-Qahira (modern Cairo), led to the final decline of Inbu Hedge (Memphis). The new capital was founded only two dozen kilometers north of Memphis and took over all its main functions.
The Arab writer KhІІ v. Abd-el-Latif in an essay dedicated to Egypt, argued that the ruins of Memphis were grandiose and stretched from Dashur to Giza.
The ruins of the ancient city of Memphis are located in the governorate (region) of El Giza. The archaeological zone is located next to the modern village of Meath Raheena, about 20 km south of central Cairo.
The ruins of the temple of the god Ptah, the colossal statue of Pharaoh Ramesses II, carved from pink granite, and the figure of the sphinx are all that remained by the beginning of the 21st century from Memphis, which was once one of the largest and most significant cities in the world.
For the Memphis necropolis, see History of Ancient Egypt
VI dynasty
Necropolis in Saqqara. Reconstruction
Below is the necropolis of Saqqara at the end of the Old Kingdom era.
At the bottom of the drawing is a marshy area. In the far left corner is Sekhemkhet, from which only the fence is visible. A small pyramid denotes the Unas complex. In front of him are the mastabs of Henu, Nebet, Princess Come and vizier Mehu.
A little further to the right, inside the stepped fence, is the Djoser complex with a stepped pyramid. On the sides of it are the pyramids of Neferhetepes and Userkaf, from which a long ramp leads to the landing pad.
On the right are the pyramids of Theta and its queens Iput and Kauit, as well as the small pyramid of Merikare. Nearby are mastabs. The necropolises of the ancient dynasties are in depth.
Letters with requests to those who died from living
Since the afterlife, in the view of the ancient Egyptians, was a natural continuation of earthly life, and the deceased was perceived as actually existing, able to also harm or, conversely, help his loved ones on earth, the living sometimes tried to establish contact with deceased relatives through letters. These original, interesting texts have reached us in relatively small numbers. The letters date from the time of the Old, Middle and New (KhІKh dynasty) kingdoms. The letter to the deceased had to be left where gifts were presented to him. If he could take advantage of these gifts, then, allegedly, he could read the letter addressed to him.
The letters could be written on vessels with food and drink for the deceased or simply on papyrus. The letters stated the requests of the living to the deceased. Sometimes requests were accompanied by threats, because a living person could stop offering gifts to the deceased, stop sending his funeral cult, etc. - in a word, cause the deceased all sorts of trouble or, conversely, begin to treat him more attentively and sensitively. Some diseases of the living were considered the consequence of the evil intrigues of the dead. This was one of the reasons for the emergence of correspondence: they tried to settle the conflict peacefully. Especially interesting is the letter (papyrus Leiden, І, 371), in which a high-ranking Memphis dignitary appeals to his deceased wife with a request to save him from persecution, for for three years now, after her death, he has neither forgotten her nor recovered from his yearning.
Interestingly, in 1977, mass gatherings of Muslims in the Feroz Shah Kotla fortress resumed in Delhi to transmit letters to genies about the fulfillment of desires. TAdviser also observed this phenomenon in 2025. For more on this, see History of Delhi.
V dynasty
Main article: History of Ancient Egypt
Pyramids with Pyramid Texts
The pyramids of the V and VІ dynasties are remarkable in that memorial magical texts are inscribed on the walls of their internal premises, the main and only purpose of which was to ensure the eternal, happy life of the pharaoh after his earthly death. This is the so-called "Pyramid Texts" (inscribed with hieroglyphs painted green).
Each pyramid necessarily had its own temple, in which priests specially intended for this purpose served as a funeral service for the pharaoh buried in the pyramid. Each pyramid memorial complex (the pyramid proper as a tomb and the memorial temple belonging to it) had its own name.
The latest is the pyramid of the pharaoh KhІІ the Henger dynasty (XVІІ century BC). Thus, royal tombs in the form of pyramids were built during the Old and Middle kingdoms and were located either in Lower Egypt or in the Middle - in the part of it that adjoins Lower Egypt. These are territories of a more or less flat nature.
Solar shrines with obelisks are the oldest "temples" known in Egypt
Main article: History of Ancient Egypt
From the time of the Old Kingdom, temples have not survived, with the exception of the funeral - at the tombs of the pharaohs. Thus science , he does not have specific information about Egyptian temples until the 5th dynasty.
Each pharaoh of the V dynasty erected a magnificent temple of the sun. The names of the temples were different: "Horizon Ra," "Satisfaction Ra," etc. These temples did not reach us, but the results of excavations by German scientists in Abusir at the turn of the KhІKh-19th centuries. irrefutably prove that six kings of the 5th dynasty built their temples in the area of Abu Gurab, somewhat south of Giza. The remains of two of these temples have been discovered:
- the temple of Pharaoh Userkaf and
- the temple of Pharaoh Niuserra (excavations of H. Riecke, a student of L. Borchardt, and L. Borchardt himself).
The temples were built on the same model. As a matter of fact, there was no temple as such. When referring to solar temples of this type, we mean the following: on a specially built vast terrace, a high obelisk towered on a huge pedestal, upholstered with gilded copper. There was a large altar in front of the obelisk.
The obelisk, altar, and part of the surrounding space were all walled with images covered inside and out. The cult went in the open air. Office premises were also located behind the wall. The subject of the cult was the obelisk itself, which, apparently, represented the light. In form, they were the same as the obelisks of later times, but differed from them, apparently, in squat and massiveness. The obelisks of the "solar temples" have not been preserved.
Information about the "solar temples" and the cults sent with them is very scarce. Obviously, however, the main idea of creating these temples was the cult of the sun - a luminary, not a mythological character. After the 5th dynasty, the construction of "solar temples" ceased.
Memphis Necropolis in Saqqara, Dahshura, Giza and Abusir
The Memphis Necropolis includes pyramid complexes at Saqqara, Dahshura, Giza, and Abusir.
The first part of the necropolis was founded in Saqqara during the first dynasty. Then, during the fourth dynasty, Dahshur was founded, after which, also during the fourth dynasty, Giza and, finally, Abusir were founded during the fifth dynasty.
It is important to remember that although these places were not built sequentially, they did not cease to be used after the construction of the next one began.
2389 BC.
A double statue of the scribe Nimaatsed, who was the priest of Ra and Hathor in the solar temple of king Neferirkare Kakai. He also served as a judge and priest under the pyramids Neferirkar Kakai, Neferefre and Niuserra. The statues have one base and are almost identical, but slightly different in height.
2446 BC.
False door of priest Nikaura who was priest of sun god Ra and goddess Hathor in sun temple of king Neferirkare Kakai. His false door has typical features of this architectural element: at the top of the panel, he is depicted sitting in front of a table for sacrifices, and on jambs and lintels are written formulas for sacrifices, as well as the names and titles of the deceased.
2450 BC.
The false door of Tepemanha II, who was the wab priest of the pyramids of kings Sneferu, Menhaur, Hafr, Userkaf and Sahur, the prophet of kings Khufu and Menhaur and the temple of the Sun of king Userkaf.
During the Old Kingdom, priests of burial temples bore the title "vab," meaning "pure," and were responsible for temple property and daily offerings.
IV dynasty
2486 BC: Death of Pharaoh Menkaur IV dynasty
Menkaura (Mikerin), the fifth pharaoh of the IV dynasty, who ruled around 2514-2486 BC. e.
On three triads (2490-2472 BC), the ruler is depicted in the crown of Upper Egypt. To the right of the pharaoh is the goddess Hathor, from whom he expects fertility and resurrection. On the left are personifications of three nomes (provinces of Ancient Egypt) with their symbols indicated above their heads. Permanent payments are required from nomes.
The three Menkaur sculptures reflect the classical idea of court sculpture, in which the human nature of the pharaoh is transformed into the divine.
Large pyramids of Khufu, Hafra and Menkaur without texts inside
The "great pyramids" in Giza - three of them - are built by pharaohs of the ІV dynasty. The largest pyramid of Khufu (Greek form of the name Cheops), followed by the pyramid of Hafra (Greek Hefren), then the pyramid of Menkaur (Greek Mikerin).
The following figures give an idea of the size of the Khufu pyramid: height - 146 m, length of the base side - 230 m. Its construction took 2 million stones, each weighing 2.5 tons (on average). The pyramid of Hafra is slightly smaller, the pyramid of Menkaur is much smaller than the first two, but is partially composed of granite delivered from Aswan.
No inscriptions, skulipters or images have been found inside the "large pyramids" in Giza. Empty stone sarcophagi were found in all three pyramids. Herodotus (ІІ, 124) reports that the "large pyramid" of Cheops was built continuously for 20 years and that 100 thousand people worked on the construction, changing every three months. Modern calculations to some extent confirm Herodotus' data.
Pharaoh's travel boats to heaven after death to reunite with 'father' - god Ra
After his death, Pharaoh allegedly had to unite with the gods in the eastern part of the sky. But how do you get there? For Pharaoh, this was not particularly difficult: after all, he is a demigod. Pharaoh flies to heaven like a divine bird: "Your wings grow like a falcon, you are wide-breasted like a hawk that is looked at in the evening, after he crossed the sky" (Pyr., §1048). Pharaoh could cross the space to the eastern sky and in the form of other sacred birds of the wild goose, harrier, etc., and even in the form of insects - scarab and locusts. Of Pharaoh's flight, it says: "Flying flies. He flies away from you, men, for he does not belong to the earth, he belongs to the sky... " (Pyr., §890/891).
The idea of reuniting the deceased Pharaoh with his "father" - the god Ra also penetrated secular literature and existed much later. For example, we can cite the beginning of the "Tale of Sinukh" (R 5-10), which says that on such and such a day of such and such a year, King Amenemhat І "took to heaven and united with the sun and the divine flesh [his] mixed with the one who gave birth to it."
Other means of reaching the sky were climbing stairs, climbing sunlight, or plumes of smoke from incense. And finally, a particularly important moment in the religious ideas of the Egyptians was swimming through the sky to its eastern part and the accession of the deceased pharaoh to the host of gods: the sky was thought of as a huge water surface that the late ruler of Egypt had to overcome. To do this, he needed a ship. The fact of supplying the king with a ship, by the way, is not at all fictitious, but real, confirmed by excavations: near the memorial temples of the pharaohs ІV dynasties - Khufu (Cheops) and Hafra (Hefren), the natural size of the ship was buried. This custom dates back to prehistoric ideas: in private burials of ancient times, clay models of small vessels and rather large wooden vessels (near the burials of nobles of the Early Kingdom) were found.
The deceased pharaoh was to be transported by a special carrier, which in the Texts of the Pyramids is called "looking behind him." Before departure, the carrier arranged a magical interrogation of his passenger, and he had to answer in a certain way. Transportation to the eastern part of the sky was due to the magical knowledge of the passenger, his moral qualities did not play any role. The idea of the deceased king swimming through the sky merged during the Old Kingdom with the idea of daily swimming through the sky, from east to west, the god Ra. The deceased king finds himself in the carriage of the rook of the god Ra. Like other gods, he is given an oar and accompanies the supreme god in his daily voyage (Pyr., §922 -923).
The posthumous fate of the king is outlined in the "Texts of the Pyramids" ambiguously: he becomes either a great god, then close to the god Ra, his secretary and scribe (Pyr., 954/55), then a rower in the heavenly rook of Ra, then, finally, one of the bright night stars - Orion or Sirius, who were considered the souls of the gods: Orion - the soul of Osiris, Sirius - Isis. One way or another, the king after death is either the great god himself or close to the gods. This especially placed great goddesses to him who agreed to breastfeed him (Pyr., S 911). However, the proximity to the gods did not in any way diminish the fear for him, for wandering in the otherworldly world, inhabited not only by gods, but also by various evil creatures, could be fraught with formidable dangers for the royal deceased. Numerous snakes were particularly dangerous, and the "Pyramid Texts" abound in magical spells to shield the deceased king from them. Thus, the earthly everyday life of the Egyptian fellah, including the danger from snakes, was reflected in the "Texts of the Pyramids."
It is more than difficult to establish the "topography" of the otherworld based on these texts due to many contradictions. The Egyptian term for dates, for example, refers to both the night starry sky and the underworld ("lower dates"). Another toponym of the otherworld is sehet iaru (i.e. "field of reeds") - means in the "Texts of the pyramids" a certain place in the eastern part of the sky, where the deceased king seeks to get with the help of the "carrier of the field of reeds," the desired place of residence of the gods.
The Big Sphinx
The Greater Sphinx was created by the Egyptians from the Old Kingdom during the reign of Khufu/Cheops (c. 2590-2566) or Hefren (c. 2558-2532). It is believed that Sphinx's face was carved to depict either Pharaoh Khufu or one of his sons, Pharaoh Jedephr or Hefren, but no consensus was reached.
It is assumed that the sphinx could initially arise as a yardang (such landforms appear under the influence of the wind), and was subsequently "detailed" by people[1].
III dynasty
2665 BC: Joser establishes III dynasty and builds first pyramid in Egypt
Jozer (Egypt. "sacred") - the pharaoh of Ancient Egypt from the III dynasty, who is its founder, who ruled around 2665-2645 BC. e. On modern monuments, this pharaoh is called Necherichet.
According to the Turin papyrus, the reign of the pharaoh lasted 19 years and 3 months.
Under the pyramid, at a depth of 40 meters, there are several levels of corridors in which more than 30 thousand stone vessels were found, including granite and alabaster. Also found there is a description of Joser's celebration of the Sed festival.
Most pharaohs did not wait until their thirties to celebrate Heb-sed (the 30th anniversary of rule). It was believed that after its celebration came a new thirty-year period. Joser celebrated this holiday, although he reigned only nineteen years.
Under the stepped piramidoy of King Joser is a labyrinth of chambers and galleries. These premises served as a place for the burial of himself and his family members, as well as for storing various items. The walls of the underground passages were lined with panels made of blue-green Egyptian faience tiles. They were not just decorative, but symbolized the afterlife of the king.
Mimicking the reed mats used in the royal palace, the panels recreated the "reed field," the paradise of the afterlife where the pharaoh will spend eternity. Blue-green also signified new growth and rebirth. The step pyramid of Jaucer contained more than thirty-six thousand tiles.
Joser was revered years later as one of the greatest pharaohs of antiquity. In Berlin, there is a statue depicting the king of the XII dynasty, Senusert II, worshipping Joser.
The Prussian consul general Von Minutoli discovered parts of the mummy and several inscriptions with the name of Joser inside the Step Pyramid of Joser in Sakkar. He sent the finds to Europe, but they drowned in the sea during the storm. Many years later, archaeologists discovered part of this mummy on the same site. Dr. Derry, who examined this fragment found later, says that the methods of wrapping and mummification are quite similar to those used in the Ancient Kingdom. Perhaps this is part of the mummy of Joser himself.
II dynasty
2650 BC: Statue of the funeral priest Hetepdif in Memphis
Hetepdif was a funeral priest during the reign of the first three kings of the Second Dynasty, Hetepsekhemuya, Raneba and Ninetiere: their names are engraved on the back of his shoulder in the earrings.
This is the first private statue with the earliest lines of extended text. The Hetepdif is presented in an innovative and unusual pose, kneeling in a position of prayer or as a mark of reverence to the kings.
I dynasty
Cult of the bull Apis, the oracle of the god Pt in Inbu Hedge (Memphis)
The oldest god in Inbu Hedge (Memphis) was Tatenen, an anthropomorphic chthonic deity, who then merged with the anthropomorphic god Pta, who acquires a "family" in the form of the lion-like goddess Sekhmet and son, the god Nefertum, also anthropomorphic.
The cult of the bull Apis already existed during the 1st dynasty.
The worship of Apis as a full-fledged god, at least according to Manetho's "Egyptian History," appeared later, presumably during the reign of King Caihos (possibly Nebra) of the Second Dynasty.
First, since Apis was one of the deities of Memphis, he is associated with the Memphis god Pta. In the Great Papyrus, Harris І about Apis is said to be the soul of the god Pt; second, Apis is seen as an oracle of the god Pt.
A calf with a certain set of marks was chosen from the herd, brought to the temple of Pt, gave him a harem of cows and worshipped him as the embodiment of Pt. It was believed that the cow that was his mother conceived him from a flash of lightning from heaven or from lunar rays. She was also treated in a special way and buried in a special way.
In the temple, Apis was used as an oracle, and its movements were interpreted as prophecies. It was believed that his breath heals from diseases, and his presence empowers those around him. A window was made in the temple through which you could watch it, and on certain holidays it was taken along the streets of the city, decorated with jewelry and flowers.
Later, during the XVII dynasty, Heliopolis the black bull Mnevis (Greek form; Other-Egyptian Mr-wr). Like Apis, he was kept in a special room, after his death he was mummified and buried like Apis. For details, see. Heliopolis
Special relations of people with bulls can be observed today, for example, in South Sudan with a small nomadic Mundari people.
3100 BC e.: Narmer Menes unites Egypt and establishes the capital at Inbu Hedge (Memphis)
Inbu Hedge (Memphis) was founded by Narmer Menes and immediately became the capital of the united Egypt. The fact that Memphis was founded during the І Dynasty is confirmed by the excavations of Fl. Pitrie, W. Emery et al. Memphis is thus a significantly younger city than ancient Iunu (Heliopolis). The straight distance between these two centers is about 33 km.
The name Memphis comes from Egyptian mn nfr (the name of Pepi's pyramid І), meaning "steady and beautiful." The city had other names for the Egyptians:
- Scales of Both Countries (referring to the central position of Memphis between Upper and Lower Egypt),
- White Wall (Inbu Hedge),
- Het-ka-Pta ( "chamber of the soul of the god Pta") - hence the Greek name for Egypt - and finally,
- Anh-taui, which means in translation "life of the Two Lands" (another translation: "the harbor is beautiful") - the name of the area near Serapeum in Saqqara, as well as the city.
Notes
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