Tales of Memphis Trivia Quiz

Answer: Menes

Credited with the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt, Menes, or Narmer, is considered to be the first pharaoh of the First Dynasty of ancient Egypt. Symbolic of his accomplishment, Menes took the White Crown, or Hedjet, of Upper Egypt and the Red Crown, or Deshret, of Lower Egypt and combined them.

The result was a new crown called the Double Crown, or Pschent, which was used for centuries to symbolize the rule of the unified kingdoms. Some sources do call Menes a "legendary king", and question whether Menes and Narmer are the same person, while others state that they are the same historic person. Both Herodotus and Manetho credited Menes as being the first pharaoh.

Answer: Old Kingdom

The period of unification, c. 3100 BC, is typically called the Predynastic Period in ancient Egypt; the Old Kingdom began with the Third Dynasty, and the building of the Great Pyramid. During the Old Kingdom, which is also called the Age of Pyramids, ancient Egypt prospered and developed a unique culture, which lasted thousands of years. Differentiation between the two periods in Egyptian history was made by scholars in the nineteenth century, saying they were justified in doing so because pyramid building was a new and revolutionary change.

The ancient Egyptians probably did not notice any distinction between the two eras because the last Predynastic pharaoh was related by blood to Zoser, the first pharaoh of the Third Dynasty. The Old Kingdom included the Third-Sixth Dynasties, and lasted approximately 800 years.

Answer: Its location symbolized the joining of the two ancient kingdoms.

As the ancient Egyptians found the need to organize themselves - in all probability to work together to contain the flooding Nile River - they began to form political districts called nomes. Each nome had its own leader called a nomarch, who lived in the capital city of the nome.

As time passed, the nomes began to be organized into the kingdoms of Upper and Lower Egypt. Gradually, the leader of the most powerful and important nome took control and ruled. When Menes united Upper and Lower Egypt, he built a new capital city, Memphis, at the meeting place of the two kingdoms.

The ancient Egyptians believed this unification was the beginning of their nation's history.

Answer: Ptah

In addition to being the patron of craftsmen and architects, Ptah was the creator god in ancient Egypt; it was believed that he existed before all other things and created the world by thinking about it and then speaking! Usually pictured as a man with green skin, Ptah holds the ankh, which was the symbol of good luck and long life, the Djed pillar, which was the symbol of stability, and the Was scepter, which was the symbol of power.

The wife of Ptah, Sekhmet, a warrior goddess and goddess of healing, and their son, Nefertum, the god of the first sunlight and the smell of the lotus flower, comprised the Memphis triad.

Not surprisingly, Ptah was also regarded as the father of the sage Imhotep, who designed the first pyramid and was eventually worshiped as a minor deity.

Answer: Saqqara

The first pyramid, a step pyramid built for the pharaoh Zoser, was built in the necropolis at Saqqara. Sixteen other pharaohs built pyramids there, and mastabas, an earlier type of ancient tomb, were built there as well. An important site for burials of people from all walks of life, the necropolis was used from Predynastic times through Roman times, approximately 3,000 years, and was a testimony to the importance and sacredness of ancient Memphis. All told, it is believed that the necropoleis sites stretch nineteen miles along the west coast of the Nile River, and also include Dahshure, Abusir, Zawyet el-Aryan, Abu Rawash, and, perhaps the most famous, Giza.

Answer: Temple of Apis

The Apis bull was the living manifestation of Ptah. Although Herodotus and other historians spoke of the Temple of Apis, a temple for the worship of the bull was not found in ancient Memphis until 1941. On the grounds of the "Hout-ka-Ptah", the Great Temple of Ptah, a mortuary temple for the sacred bulls was discovered.

It appears that the Temple of Apis had been reconstructed by Nectanebo II, the last pharaoh of the Thirtieth Dynasty. It is believed that this mortuary temple was part of the older temple described by other sources.

The Serapeum, a burial site for the sacred bulls, was located at Saqqara where it was believed that the bulls became immortal after death. During life the bull's breath was believed to cure disease, and just being around the bull was thought to improve virility.

He was also believed to be able to foretell the future through his movements.

Answer: Thebes

At the end of the Old Kingdom, Egypt began to experience political and social problems. The pyramid building that dominated the era was expensive; in return for money, pharaoh would grant nobles land. In some areas these nobles were viewed as being even more powerful than pharaoh, and there was no central authority to deal with problems such as social unrest and famine. During the First Intermediate Period, 2160-2040 BC, the kingdoms broke apart. Reunited by Mentohotep II, the Egyptians established a new capital at Thebes.

The city of Thebes, the most important nome of Upper Egypt located farther south along the Nile, was the location of the Temple of Amen, who emerged as the most important deity of the Middle Kingdom. Memphis temporarily suffered from the move, however, it remained an important artistic and commercial center.

Answer: Hyksos

Even though the period of Hyksos rule, 1674-1570 BC, seems relatively peaceful, they did capture Memphis and dismantle much of the ancient city in order to adorn their own capital, Avaris. A pharaoh continued to rule from Thebes, however, much of Egypt was controlled by the Hyksos, who assimilated Egyptian customs into their own beliefs. An alliance with the Nubians to the south, however, sealed the fate of the Hyksos, as the Egyptians began to feel they might be caught between two foreign powers.

The pharaoh Kamose began a surprise attack on the Hykos and his brother, Ahmose, the first pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty, succeeded in driving them out of Egypt.

Answer: Ramses II

During the New Kingdom, Memphis became the center of learning for royal princes and nobles' sons. Ramses the Great, also known as Ramses II, is known to have constructed a small temple for the god Ptah; it was known as the "Temple of Ptah of Rameses, Beloved of Amun, God, Ruler of Heliopolis", and some believe the new temple was built on the site of the old one. Pi-Ramses, his new capital, was close in proximity to Memphis, reviving the importance of the old city.

Many new monuments were built during his reign, new statues of the pharaoh were constructed, and his successors also provided for development in the city.

Answer: False

Today the ancient capital is preserved as an open-air museum, and was placed on the list of World Heritage Sites of UNESCO in 1979. Throughout the centuries, even though the capital moved, the city remained important to the ancient Egyptians; by the time of Alexander the Great the city was still important enough that it is said that his general, Ptolemy, took his body there to have it embalmed at the Temple of Ptah.