Editing Memphis, Egypt (section)

===Ptolemaic Period===
[[File:Alexander visits the Apis bull at the temple in Memphis by Andre Castaigne (1898-1899).jpg|thumb|180px|''Alexander at the Temple of Apis in Memphis'', by [[Andre Castaigne]] (1898–1899)]]

In 332 BC, [[Alexander the Great]] was crowned king in the Temple of Ptah, ushering in the [[History of Ptolemaic Egypt|Hellenistic period]]. The city retained a significant status, especially religious, throughout the period following the takeover by one of his generals, [[Ptolemy I Soter|Ptolemy I]]. On the death of Alexander in Babylon (323 BCE), Ptolemy took great pains in acquiring his body and bringing it to Memphis. Claiming that the king had officially expressed a desire to be buried in Egypt, he then carried the body of Alexander to the heart of the temple of Ptah, and had him embalmed by the priests. By custom, kings in [[Macedon]] asserted their right to the throne by burying their predecessor. [[Ptolemy II Philadelphus|Ptolemy II]] later transferred the [[sarcophagus]] to Alexandria, where a royal tomb was constructed for its burial. The exact location of the tomb has been lost since then. According to [[Claudius Aelianus|Aelian]], the seer [[Aristander]] foretold that the land where Alexander was laid to rest "would be happy and unvanquishable forever".

Thus began the [[Ptolemaic dynasty]], during which began the city's gradual decline. It was Ptolemy I who first introduced the cult of [[Serapis]] in Egypt, establishing his cult in Saqqara. From this period date many developments of the Saqqara Serapeum, including the building of the Chamber of Poets, as well as the ''dromos'' adorning the temple, and many elements of Greek-inspired architecture. The cult's reputation extended beyond the borders of the country, but was later eclipsed by the great [[Serapeum#Alexandria|Alexandrian Serapeum]], built in Ptolemy's honour by his successors.

The [[Ptolemaic Decrees|Decrees of Memphis]] were issued in 216 and 196 BC, by [[Ptolemy IV]] and [[Ptolemy V]] respectively. Delegates from the principal clergies of the kingdom gathered in [[synod]], under the patronage of the High Priest of Ptah and in the presence of the king, to establish the religious policy of the country for years to come, also dictating fees and taxes, creating new foundations, and paying tribute to the Ptolemaic rulers. These decrees were engraved on [[stele|stelae]] in three scripts to be read and understood by all: [[Demotic (Egyptian)|Demotic]], [[Egyptian hieroglyphs|hieroglyphic]], and [[Ancient Greek language|Greek]]. The most famous of these stelae is the [[Rosetta Stone]], which allowed the deciphering of ancient Egyptian script in the nineteenth century. There were other stelae, funerary this time, discovered on the site that have forwarded knowledge of the genealogy of the higher clergy of Memphis, a dynasty of high priests of Ptah. The lineage retained strong ties with the royal family in Alexandria, to the extent that marriages occurred between certain high priests and Ptolemaic princesses, strengthening even further the commitment between the two families.