Editing Memphis, Egypt (section)

===[[Middle Kingdom of Egypt|Middle Kingdom]]===
At the beginning of the [[Middle Kingdom of Egypt|Middle Kingdom]], the capital and court of the king had moved to [[Thebes, Egypt|Thebes]] in the south, leaving Memphis for a time. Although the seat of political power had shifted, Memphis did remain perhaps the most important commercial and artistic centre, as evidenced by the discovery of handicrafts districts and cemeteries, located west of the temple of Ptah.<ref>Al-Hitta, ''Excavations at Memphis of Kom el-Fakhri'', pp. 50–51.</ref>

Also found were vestiges attesting to the architectural focus of this time. A large granite offering table on behalf of [[Amenemhat I]] mentioned the erection by the king of a shrine to the god Ptah, master of Truth.<ref>Mariette, ''Monuments divers Collected in Egypt and in Nubia'', p. 9 and plate 34A.</ref> Other blocks registered in the name of [[Amenemhat II]] were found to be used as foundations for large monoliths preceding the pylons of Ramses II. These kings were also known to have ordered mining expeditions, raids, or military campaigns beyond the borders, erecting monuments or statues to the consecration of deities, evinced by a panel recording official acts of the royal court during this time. In the ruins of the Temple of Ptah, a block in the name of [[Senusret II]] bears an inscription indicating an architectural commission as a gift to the deities of Memphis.<ref>Mariette, ''Monuments divers Collected in Egypt and in Nubia'', § Temple of Ptah, excavations 1871, 1872 and 1875, p. 7 and plate 27A.</ref> Moreover, many statues found at the site, later restored by the New Kingdom kings, are attributed to kings of the [[Twelfth Dynasty of Egypt|Twelfth Dynasty]]. Examples include the two stone giants that have been recovered amidst the temple ruins, which were later restored under the name of Ramesses II.<ref>Brugsch, ''Collection of Egyptian monuments'', Part I, p. 4 and Plate II. This statue is now on display at the Egyptian Museum in Berlin.</ref>

Finally, according to the tradition recorded by Herodotus,<ref>Herodotus, ''The Histories'' (Vol II), § 101.</ref> and [[Diodorus Siculus|Diodorus]],<ref>Diodorus Siculus, ''Bibliotheca historica'', (Vol I), Ch. 2, § 8.</ref> [[Amenemhat III]] built the northern gate of the Temple of Ptah. Remains attributed to this king were indeed found during the excavations in this area conducted by [[Flinders Petrie]], who confirmed the connection. It is also worth noting that, during this time, [[mastaba]]s of the high priests of Ptah were constructed near the royal pyramids at Saqqara, showing that the royalty and the clergy of Memphis at that time were closely linked. The [[Thirteenth Dynasty of Egypt|Thirteenth Dynasty]] continued this trend, and some kings of this line were buried at Saqqara, attesting that Memphis retained its place at the heart of the monarchy.

With the invasion of the [[Hyksos]] and their rise to power ca. 1650 BC, the city of Memphis came under siege. Following its capture, many monuments and statues of the ancient capital were dismantled, looted, or damaged by the Hyksos kings, who later carried them off to adorn their new capital at [[Avaris]].{{#tag:ref|Most of these relics would be subsequently recovered by Rameses II in order to decorate his new capital at Pi-Ramses. Later, they were moved again during the Third Intermediate Period to Tanis, and many have been found scattered among the ruins of the country's various ancient capitals.|group=Fnt|name=hyksos}} Evidence of royal propaganda has been uncovered and attributed to the Theban kings of the [[Seventeenth Dynasty of Egypt|Seventeenth Dynasty]], who initiated the reconquest of the kingdom half a century later.