Those things about the archaeology of Memphis, the first capital of ancient Egypt

　　 Last time we talked about the establishment of Memphis (Memphis), the earliest capital of Egypt.

　　The establishment of Memphis marked two events: the first is of course the emergence of Egypt as a country (probably the earliest country in the world) in the pharaonic era, and the second is often overlooked, that is, urbanization The "real" beginning in Egypt.

　　 So before we continue to reminisce about this ethereal capital today, it is necessary to introduce the urban characteristics of ancient Egypt by the way.

The composition of Egyptian cities

　　 How do we define a city?

　　 Population number is naturally an important measure, but it is not absolute; in sparsely populated Norway, a city with only 20,000 inhabitants (such as Tromso) is also considered to be "City" (city).

Illustration: Tromso, Norway (Image source: Internet image)

　　 In the UK, places with up to 100,000 residents (such as Bolton) are only called It's just a "big town" (big town).

Illustration: Bolton, United Kingdom (Image source: Internet image)

　　 In this way, function becomes another measure: the city should have a series of functions Sexual facilities and institutions , the government is the first to bear the brunt, in addition to economic buildings (such as chambers of commerce and markets), and cultural buildings (such as universities and churches).

　　 If a city still serves as the capital of a country, then it must have one more thing added: it must be 国家政府 (including the king and his management team, in a nutshell, it is the "imperial court" Base camp).

　　 Although it is said that the old man and his court do not always stay in the same place, they are "mobile" office like Memphis, but in the Old Kingdom period, Memphis undoubtedly assumed the responsibility of the capital, because There were residences for royal family members and high-ranking officials, and it was also the largest population center at that time.

　　 Some scholars who study the history of urban development, such as Bruce Trigger and David Wengrow, have sorted out the elements that a city must have.

　　Although they are not used to study Pharaoh Egypt, we might as well take a look:

1. There are classes not directly involved in agricultural work
2. Relatively dense population
3. Possess high-level trade and exchange facilities, such as large canal terminals or ports.
4. is a distribution center for all walks of life.
5. is a gathering place for management, and the area managed by these people must be larger than the city itself
6. controls an agricultural area, and the surplus of production in this agricultural area is enough to feed everyone in the city
7. There are organizations at all levels with clear division of labor

　　 As we said last time, Memphis has become the main religious center of Ptah, the god of craftsmen. This just shows that it is a settlement of craftsmen. In order to glorify the gods and satisfy their own pleasure, a large number of craftsmen must respond to the call of the country. this.

Illustration: Egyptian craftsmen working together (picture source: network picture)

　　 In the Pharaoh period, most of these craftsmen were directly funded by the royal family and the government, and their products were also Supply directly to the country.

Tips: About mud bricks

　　 In the era of the Pharaohs, the building follows the simplest onePrinciple: The living quarters use perishable materials, while the dead and the gods use durable materials.

　　 Therefore, the ruins we see today are basically either temples or mausoleums and pyramids. They are all made of solid stones.

　　 The residences of Egyptian civilians and officials, and even the ornate palaces of the pharaoh himself, were mostly built with mud bricks and wood. Only a few components were made of stone, so they disappeared long ago.

Illustration: A section of ancient mud brick wall (Image source: Steven Snape, The Complete Cities of Ancient Egypt)

　　 This is especially true in Memphis, where the Nile River is particularly flooded.

　　 The composition of Egyptian mud bricks has not changed since ancient times: the mud of the Nile River + sand + mixed hay or straw.

　　 Put these mixtures in a rectangular frame made of wood (this frame has no bottom and no sides, only four sides), spread it out in the sun for three days, and then turn the other side for three days. Tuan's originally disgusting things turned into shiny and silky mud bricks.

Illustration: Today’s Egyptian mud bricks (Image source: Steven Snape, The Complete Cities of Ancient Egypt)

　　 Our composition of Egyptian cities is due to the stone ruins that survive today There is a huge misunderstanding.

　　 The picture below is a typical Egyptian village now. The houses of urban residents in the Pharaoh period will not be much different from those in the picture.

Illustration: Typical modern Egyptian countryside (Image source: Steven Snape, The Complete Cities of Ancient Egypt)

　　 Today, mud bricks are still popular in rural Egypt Building materials. This material returns to the river after being weathered and washed, and is very environmentally friendly.

Memphis archaeological results

　　 In the remains of Memphis, there is still a huge statue of Ramses, telling the glory of the ancient capital.

Illustration: The statue of Ramses (photo source: Steven Snape, The Complete Cities of Ancient Egypt)

　　 Today, the relics of the ancient city of Memphis are scattered all over the place. It is 4 kilometers long from north to south and 1.5 kilometers from east to west.

　　 There are layers of mounds, modern villages, and areas such as Badrashein, Mit Rahina, and Azziziya.

　　 Many different mounds are prefixed by archaeologists with "kom" (kom).

　　What are these mounds and what they may have been? After archaeological research, the current known content is listed as follows:

Kom el-Qala:

　　 here is dated the 19th Dynasty and some time later. This includes

Illustration: In 2006, people sent off the colossus of Ramses II to Great Egypt Museum (photo source: National Geographic official website)

Kom el-Rabia (Kom el-Rabia):

　　 Here are some of the new kingdom and its subsequent establishment Monuments, including a small prayer room in Seti, a temple built by Ramses II (he again!) dedicated to Puta and Hathor, a limestone colossus of Ramses II, and Tombs belonging to the 21st and 22nd Dynasty.

　　 The temple of Hathor here has almost disappeared, leaving only the pillar crowns like Hathor in the picture.

Illustration: Hathor-style column crown (picture source: web picture)

Kom el-Fakhry:

　　 This is a cemetery established in the first middle period-the early Middle Kingdom.

Mit Rahina (Mit Rahina):

　　 This mound is 13 meters above the surrounding ground level. Most of it is covered by modern villages. It may be a long way off to fully explore here.

Illustration: In 2014, a team of archaeologists were developing excavations at the Mitte Rasina Exhibition (picture source: Internet picture)

　　 However, a door was unearthed from here, It has been tested to be from the Middle Kingdom period, with the king's name of Amenemhat III engraved on it, as well as other scattered but very nice statues and pillars.

　　 It is speculated that many stones from the New Kingdom period were moved here for recycling.

　　 The picture below is a scene of Mitte Rasina, next to the ruins is the current residential building.

Illustration: A view of Mitte Rasina (picture source: web picture)

Birka:

　　 The word is in Arabic The Chinese means "lake", which is really suitable to describe this sinking area-the Puta Temple area in the New Kingdom period is here.

　　 The bas-relief fragment of the Puta Temple, on which the name of Ramses II can be recognized.

Illustration: Relief fragments of the Puta Temple (picture source: web picture)

　　 After the hard work of archaeologists, although there are basically no gods left in this temple The shape of the temple, but its shape is still traceable.

Illustration: Restoration of the gate of the Puta Temple (Image source: Wikimedia Commons)

　　 Its main entrance is a magnificent gate. You will come after entering the gate Arrived in a pillared hall. In addition to the area where religious ceremonies are held, this temple also contains various workshops, slaughterhouses, bakeries, and wineries.

Illustration: Restoration of the Pillar Hall of the Puta Temple (Image source: Wikimedia Commons)

　　 It is worth mentioning that this magnificent temple is probably the famous one "Hu-Kaputa".

Illustration: Hut-ka-Ptah-"Hut-ka-Ptah"", the word evolved into what we call "Egypt" today.

Kom Tuman (Kom Tuman):

　　 This is the highest part of the entire Memphis ruins—— It is 20 meters higher than the surrounding ground! It is the base of a palace-style building and may be used for military purposes. It is dated to the Late Period (Late Period).

"Follow the wind"!

Memphis may also play a military role.

　　 A group of pharaohs with unique characteristics emerged in the 18th dynasty, and Thutmose III (about 1481-1425 BC) was one of them.

Illustration: Thutmose III (picture source: network picture)

　　After he came to power, he led troops to expedition almost every year. It can be said that he has pushed Egypt into the list of the great ancient empires.

　　 After experiencing the humiliation of the Hyksos, the rulers of the 18th dynasty regarded the strong army as their primary goal. At this time, the Egyptian army had been specialized and there appeared to be dedicated ships to fight on the Nile.

　　The establishment of the water army laid a solid foundation for the New Kingdom to conquer the Levant.

　　 began in the reign of Tothmose III, "Parunif "(Perunefer) This term appears very frequently, and its meaning can be roughly translated as "satisfying northward" or more poetic "all the way".

　　 It refers to a place similar to a navy base. The main function is to serve as the base camp for the Egyptian naval arms.

　　 Although there are still many controversies, many scholars believe that this "good voyage" naval base was set up in Memphis and near Memphis. Many officials’ tombs were found in the Saqqara necropolis, and the titles of these people were also related to the navy.

　　 By the end of the 18th Dynasty, the name of the base was rarely mentioned again. This may be due to the river. Moving east, the estuary connected to this base is unusable. The exact location of this base is still a mystery. Where did

Memphis go?

　　 This should be everyone’s most curious question.

　　A once such a powerful metropolis, a prosperous city for more than three thousand years, although its houses and pharaoh's palaces inhabited by all living beings have returned to the embrace of the river, but its stone temples , The eternal residence of the gods, have they just disappeared out of thin air?

　　 After the decline of Pharaoh Egypt, Egypt first became the province of the Roman Empire, and later became the territory of Islam. During these long years, ancient temples were gradually demolished or collapsed naturally, and their stone According to speculation, it is likely that they have been taken to build other things one after another-well, not far from Memphis, there is indeed a city rising from the ground, she is: 蔡罗.

　　 If you are fortunate enough to set foot on the land of Egypt, stroll through the streets of Old Cairo, looking at the countless mosques, minarets, arches and old city walls on both sides of the street, please remember: It was probably built from the wreckage of Memphis.

　　 In Egypt, the boundary between ancient and modern has always been so delicate.

　　ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, that we have finally arrived at the first dynasty, a little excited, hug! !

　　 Next, we are going to plunge into the most classic ancient Egyptian history. In this time and space journey, we will see how many familiar faces and how many new ones will there beStrange interesting things are waiting for us to discover?

　　 Let us start now!

　　 hope that we will also be like Memphis's name, "a good journey"!

to be continued

Author: Celery & Pepi Pharaoh Queen Mother

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