Editing Memphis, Egypt (section)

===Temples to foreign deities===
A temple dedicated to [[Mithras]], dated from the [[Roman Egypt|Roman period]], has been uncovered in the grounds north of Memphis. The temple of [[Astarte]], described by Herodotus, was located in the area reserved to the [[Phoenicians]] during the time when the Greek author visited the city, but has not been discovered to date.

====Temple of Sekhmet====
A temple dedicated to the goddess [[Sekhmet]], consort of Ptah, has not yet been found, but is currently certified by Egyptian sources. Archaeologists are still searching for remains. It may be located within the precinct of the Hout-ka-Ptah, as would seem to suggest several discoveries made among the ruins of the complex in the late nineteenth century, including a block of stone evoking the "great door" with the epithet of the goddess,<ref>Brugsch, ''Collection of Egyptian monuments'', p. 6 and plate IV, 1.</ref> and a column bearing an inscription on behalf of Ramesses II declaring him "beloved of Sekhmet".<ref>Brugsch, ''Collection of Egyptian monuments'', p. 8 and plate IV, 5.</ref> It has also been demonstrated through the [[Papyrus Harris I|Great Harris Papyrus]], which states that a statue of the goddess was made alongside those of Ptah and their son, the god [[Nefertem]], during the reign of [[Rameses III|Ramesses III]], and that it was commissioned for the deities of Memphis at the heart of the great temple.<ref>Breasted, ''Ancient Records of Egypt'', § 320 p. 166</ref><ref>Grandet, ''Le papyrus Harris I'', § 47,6 p. 287.</ref>

====Temple of Apis====
[[File:Louvres-antiquites-egyptiennes-p1020068.jpg|thumb|A statue of the sacred bull, Apis, found at the Serapeum of Saqqara.]]

The Temple of Apis in Memphis was the main temple dedicated to the worship of the bull [[Apis (deity)|Apis]], considered to be a living manifestation of Ptah. It is detailed in the works of classical historians such as Herodotus, Diodorus, and [[Strabo]], but its location has yet to be discovered amidst the ruins of the ancient capital. According to Herodotus, who described the temple's courtyard as a [[peristyle]] of columns with giant statues, it was built during the reign of [[Psamtik I]]. The Greek historian Strabo visited the site with the conquering Roman troops, following the victory against [[Cleopatra]] in the [[Battle of Actium]]. He details that the temple consisted of two chambers, one for the bull and the other for his mother, and all was built near the temple of Ptah. At the temple, Apis was used as an [[oracle]], his movements being interpreted as [[prophecy|prophecies]]. His breath was believed to cure disease, and his presence to bless those around with virility. He was given a window in the temple through which he could be seen, and on certain holidays was led through the streets of the city, bedecked with jewellery and flowers.

In 1941, the archaeologist [[Ahmed Badawy (archaeologist)|Ahmed Badawy]] discovered the first remains in Memphis that depicted the god Apis. The site, located within the grounds of the great temple of Ptah, was revealed to be a mortuary chamber designed exclusively for the [[embalming]] of the sacred bull. A [[stele]] found at Saqqara shows that [[Nectanebo II]] had ordered the restoration of this building, and elements dated from the [[Thirtieth Dynasty of Egypt|Thirtieth Dynasty]] have been unearthed in the northern part of the chamber, confirming the time of reconstruction in this part of the temple. It is likely that the mortuary was part of the larger temple of Apis cited by ancient sources. This sacred part of the temple would be the only part that has survived, and would confirm the words of Strabo and Diodorus, both of whom stated that the temple was located near the temple of Ptah.<ref>Jones, ''The temple of Apis in Memphis'', pp. 145–147.</ref>

[[File:Siamun’s royal cartouche on a lintel.jpg|thumb|Ankhefenmut kneels before the royal cartouche of Siamun, on a lintel from the Temple of Amun in Memphis]]
The majority of known Apis statues come from the burial chambers known as [[Serapeum]], located to the northwest at [[Saqqara]]. The most ancient burials found at this site date back to the reign of [[Amenhotep III]].

====Temple of Amun====
During the [[Twenty-first dynasty of Egypt|Twenty-first Dynasty]], a shrine of the great god [[Amun]] was built by [[Siamun]] to the south of the temple of Ptah. This temple (or temples) was most likely dedicated to the [[Theban Triad]], consisting of Amun, his consort [[Mut]], and their son [[Khonsu]]. It was the Upper Egyptian counterpart of the Memphis Triad (Ptah, Sekhmet, and Nefertem).

====Temple of Aten====
A temple dedicated to [[Aten]] in Memphis is attested by hieroglyphs found within the tombs of Memphite dignitaries of the end of the [[Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt|Eighteenth Dynasty]], uncovered at Saqqara. Among them, that of [[Tutankhamun]], who began his career under the reign of his father, [[Akhenaten]], as a "steward of the temple of Aten in Memphis".<ref>{{Cite web|last=Gessler |first=Beatrix |title=2012 OLA 214 Ancient Memphis Pre-Amarna or post-Amarna?... B. Gessler-Löhr |url=https://www.academia.edu/5777067}}</ref>

Since the early excavations at Memphis in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, artefacts have been uncovered in different parts of the city that indicate the presence of a building dedicated to the worship of the [[Sun (hieroglyph)|sun disc]], The Aten. The location of such a building is lost, and various hypotheses have been made on this subject based on the place of discovery of the remains of the [[Amarna Period]] features.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Neale |first=Sandra |title=AKHENATEN AND THE AMARNA PERIOD - SOME FURTHER THOUGHTS AND CONSIDERATIONS |url=https://www.academia.edu/4462750}|website=[[Academia.edu]]}}</ref>