Memphis, Egypt

ancient capital of Egypt

11 dated entries naming Memphis, Egypt, drawn from 11 separate years between 2240 BCE and 115 CE. Nothing here is written by us: each line is the sentence a Wikipedia year article used, and the link beside it opens the exact revision.

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23rd century BC

2240 BCEc. 2240 BC: Akkad, capital of the Akkadian Empire, becomes the largest city in the world, surpassing Memphis, capital of Egypt.source

16th century BC

1557 BCE1557 BC—Estimation: Memphis, capital of Lower Egypt becomes the largest city of the world, taking the lead from Avaris, capital of the Hyksos in Egypt.source

14th century BC

1400 BCE1400 BC – Estimation: Thebes, capital of Egypt becomes the largest city of the world, taking the lead from Memphis in Egypt.source

8th century BC

728 BCE728 BC: Piye invades Egypt, conquering Memphis, and receives the submission of the rulers of the Nile Delta. He founds the Twenty-fifth Dynasty of Egypt.source

7th century BC

671 BCEKing Esarhaddon of Assyria defeats the Kushite-Egyptian army of Pharaoh Taharqa and captures Memphis, along with a number of the royal family. He sets up a new Assyrian administration in Lower Egypt and withdraws.source
667 BCEKing Ashurbanipal of Assyria resumes his late father's attack on Egypt (see 671 BC), recapturing Memphis and beginning an offensive into Upper Egypt.source

4th century BC

399 BCEKing Amyrtaeus of Egypt is defeated in battle by his successor, Nepherites I of Mendes, and executed at Memphis. King Nepherites I, or Nefaarud I, founds the Twenty-ninth dynasty of Egypt. He makes Mendes his capital.source
373 BCEThe Persian King Artaxerxes II launches an invasion of Egypt to bring that country back under Persian rule. The invasion is led by Pharnabazus. After initial successes, the Greek mercenaries fighting for the Persians push on towards Memphis. However, King Nectanebo I is able to gather his forces and repulse the Persian invasion.source
343 BCEThe King of Persia, Artaxerxes III, personally leads the Persian forces invading Egypt. The Persians are keen to access Egypt's gold and corn supplies. The town of Pelusium in the Nile Delta puts up resistance, but Pharaoh Nectanebo II is forced to retreat to Memphis. As the situation deteriorates, Nectanebo II leaves for exile in Nubia. His departure marks the end of the 30th Dynasty, the last native house to rule Egypt.source
322 BCEBy custom, kings in Macedonia assert their right to the throne by burying their predecessor. To pre-empt Perdiccas, the imperial regent, Ptolemy has Alexander the Great's body brought to Memphis, Egypt and buried there in a gold sarcophagus. Ptolemy then marries Alexander's mistress, Thaïs and commences to reign as king of Egypt and the adjacent Libyan and Arabian regions.source

2nd century

115Alexandria in Egypt is damaged during the Jewish-Greek civil wars. Marcus Rutilius Lupus, the Roman governor, sends Legio XXII Deiotariana to protect the inhabitants of Memphis.source