For Elvis fans, I’m sorry to say this blog will not be for you. I want to share things about one of the oldest cities in Ancient Egypt. It was also the capital of the First Dynasty, where two of my stories take place.
The city’s location at the entrance to the Nile River Valley would have made it a natural place for an early settlement. From the earliest times, through the end of ancient Egyptian history in the Roman period, Memphis played a role in the lives of the people. Kings ruled there, commerce took place in the markets, the great religious temples drew pilgrims and tourists, and some of the most famous kings of the country constructed their great monuments in or near the city. Alexander the Great had himself crowned Pharaoh at Memphis, and the Rosetta Stone, the stele which unlocked the secret of Egyptian hieroglyphics, was originally issued from the city.
I thought its old name was cool and enjoyed using it. It was called Inbu-Hedj which means ‘White Walls’ because it was built of mud brick and then painted white. By the time of the Old Kingdom (c. 2613-2181 BCE) it was known as Men-nefer (“the enduring and beautiful”) which was translated by the Greeks into ‘Memphis.’
Nefer of course, is a fun word because it means “beautiful,” as in “Nefertiti,” the beautiful one has come, or “Nefertari”, beautiful companion, and on and on. The Egyptians often shortened their names, of course, and Nefer became a popular nickname. Memphis is also close the Giza plateau which gave birth to the great pyramids, symbol of the strength and longevity of Kemet, the Black Land.
Perhaps to honor the great city of the past, our modern American city of Memphis also has the 5th largest pyramid in the world. Check it out.
