Memphis was a major city of Ancient Egypt, located in Lower Egypt; it is located 12 miles south of Giza in present-day Cairo. It was founded by the 31st century BC Pharaoh Menes, as was its large Temple of Ptah. Memphis served as the capital of Old Kingdom Egypt and remained an important history throughout ancient Egyptian history, occupying a strategic position at the mouth of the Nile Delta. It lost its economic significance in late Antiquity due to the rise of the coastal city of Alexandria, and its religious significance diminished after the 380 AD Edict of Thessalonica established Christianity as the state religion of the Roman Empire, effectively outlawing paganism. Memphis' ruins are still a popular tourist site.
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Location of Memphis
Mennefer in 1300 BC
Bronze Age Memphis
Mennefer in 1205 BC
Memphis in the 40s BC
The slums of Ptolemaic Memphis
Farmers at work in Ptolemaic Memphis