Memphis (derived from the name of the pyramid of Pepi II of the 6th Dyn. Menncfcr-Pepi), also called The white wa//s by the ancient Egyptians, is the site of the capital founded by the legendary Menes, the uniter of Upper and Lower Egypt in the first Dynasty.
Although the royal residence was in Thebes during most of the 18th Dynasty, Memphis still remained a very important administrative centre throughout antiquity, a result of its very strategic geographical position at the juncture of the Nile valley and the I)elta.
Today very little remains to witness to its past glory, however, even as recently as the 16th and early 17th Century, its ancient ruins were vast and aroused the awe of early visitors.
• Embalming hail of the Apis bull
Memphis was the cult centre of the god Ptah, the god of craftsmen. The Apis bull was considered to be his “herald”; a living example of the animal with particular markings was held in a special enclosure and priests were
believed to be able to interpret the will of Ptah by observing the movements of the bull. At its death the animal was embalmed, placed in a great stone sarcophagus and buried in an underground gallery. The site of the embalming hail has been discovered and the huge tables upon which the process of embalming was conducted have been preserved.
