The Memphite Necropolis (or Pyramid Fields) is a series of ancient Egyptian funerary complexes occupying a thirty kilometer stretch on the Western Desert plateau in the vicinity of the ancient capital of

Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Memp ...

Lower Egypt Lower Egypt ( ar, مصر السفلى '; ) is the northernmost region of Egypt, which consists of the fertile Nile Delta between Upper Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea, from El Aiyat, south of modern-day Cairo, and Dahshur. Historically, ...

, today in

Giza Giza (; sometimes spelled ''Gizah'' arz, الجيزة ' ) is the second-largest city in Egypt after Cairo and fourth-largest city in Africa after Kinshasa, Lagos and Cairo. It is the capital of Giza Governorate with a total population of 9.2 ...

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

. It includes the pyramid complexes of

Abusir Abusir ( ar, ابو صير ; Egyptian ''pr wsjr'' cop, ⲃⲟⲩⲥⲓⲣⲓ ' "the House or Temple of Osiris"; grc, Βούσιρις) is the name given to an Egyptian archaeological locality – specifically, an extensive necropolis of ...

Saqqara Saqqara ( ar, سقارة, ), also spelled Sakkara or Saccara in English , is an Egyptian village in Giza Governorate, that contains ancient burial grounds of Egyptian royalty, serving as the necropolis for the ancient Egyptian capital, Memphis. ...

and

Dahshur DahshurAlso transliterated ''Dahshour'' (in English often called ''Dashur'' ar, دهشور ' , ''Dahchur'') is a royal necropolis located in the desert on the west bank of the Nile approximately south of Cairo. It is known chiefly for several p ...

, and is listed as the UNESCO

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

of Memphis and its Necropolis. Most of the

pyramid A pyramid (from el, πυραμίς ') is a structure whose outer surfaces are triangular and converge to a single step at the top, making the shape roughly a pyramid in the geometric sense. The base of a pyramid can be trilateral, quadrilat ...

s of the

Old Kingdom In ancient Egyptian history, the Old Kingdom is the period spanning c. 2700–2200 BC. It is also known as the "Age of the Pyramids" or the "Age of the Pyramid Builders", as it encompasses the reigns of the great pyramid-builders of the Fourth ...

were built here, along with many

mastaba A mastaba (, or ), also mastabah, mastabat or pr- djt (meaning "house of stability", " house of eternity" or "eternal house" in Ancient Egyptian), is a type of ancient Egyptian tomb in the form of a flat-roofed, rectangular structure with inwar ...

s and other tombs.

Saqqara

is the site of the first

Egyptian pyramid The Egyptian pyramids are ancient masonry structures located in Egypt. Sources cite at least 118 identified "Egyptian" pyramids. Approximately 80 pyramids were built within the Kingdom of Kush, now located in the modern country of Sudan. Of ...

, the

Pyramid of Djoser The pyramid of Djoser (or Djeser and Zoser), sometimes called the Step Pyramid of Djoser, is an archaeological site in the Saqqara necropolis, Egypt, northwest of the ruins of Memphis. The 6-tier, 4-sided structure is the earliest colossal stone b ...

, and thus the first pyramid field in the Memphite Necropolis, established in the

27th Century BCE The 27th century BC was a century that lasted from the year 2700 BC to 2601 BC. Events *c. 2750–2600 BC: Early Dynastic II Period in Mesopotamia. *c. 2700 BC: The beginning of statuary in Egypt, with shale and limestone statues of Khasekhemwy ...

during the Third Dynasty, with another 16 pyramids built over the centuries though the Fifth Dynasty. However, the site was used for burials at least as early as the First Dynasty (Ca. 32nd Century BCE), and remained in almost contiuous use as a cemetary for 3000 years until the Ptolemaic Period ( 30 BCE).

Dahshur

is the second of the pyramid complexes to be established in Egypt, with the unique

Bent Pyramid The Bent Pyramid is an ancient Egyptian pyramid located at the royal necropolis of Dahshur, approximately 40 kilometres south of Cairo, built under the Old Kingdom Pharaoh Sneferu (c. 2600 BC). A unique example of early pyramid development in Egypt ...

Sneferu Sneferu ( snfr-wj "He has perfected me", from ''Ḥr-nb-mꜣꜥt-snfr-wj'' "Horus, Lord of Maat, has perfected me", also read Snefru or Snofru), well known under his Hellenized name Soris ( grc-koi, Σῶρις by Manetho), was the founding phar ...

in the

Fourth Dynasty The Fourth Dynasty of ancient Egypt (notated Dynasty IV) is characterized as a "golden age" of the Old Kingdom of Egypt. Dynasty IV lasted from to 2494 BC. It was a time of peace and prosperity as well as one during which trade with other ...

during the Old Kindgom (

). The site would be in intermitent use as a burial ground and pyramid field for a millenium where the last of more than six pyramids was built in the

13th Dynasty In music or music theory, a thirteenth is the note thirteen scale degrees from the root of a chord and also the interval between the root and the thirteenth. The interval can be also described as a compound sixth, spanning an octave p ...

during the

Second Intermediate Period The Second Intermediate Period marks a period when ancient Egypt fell into disarray for a second time, between the end of the Middle Kingdom and the start of the New Kingdom. The concept of a "Second Intermediate Period" was coined in 1942 by ...

( 18th Century BCE). The necropolis is 2.5 by 6 kilometres, located about 30 kilometres south of Cairo.

Abusir

Chronologically

was the fourth and last of the pyramid fields to be establsihed, its 14 pyramids were built during the

Fifth Dynasty The Fifth Dynasty of ancient Egypt (notated Dynasty V) is often combined with Dynasties Third Dynasty of Egypt, III, Fourth Dynasty of Egypt, IV and Sixth Dynasty of Egypt, VI under the group title the Old Kingdom of Egypt, Old Kingdom. The Fifth ...

at the end of the

, that lasted 150 years in the 25th and 24th centuries BC.

Excavations

Burials in the Memphite Necropolis include the Apis bulls, falcons, ibises, baboons, and boats. The tomb of Nakht-Min at the Abusir-Memphite Necropolis (''Kahled Daoud'') Egypt_Exploration_Society_.html" ;"title="Egypt_Exploration_Society.html" ;"title="Egypt Exploration Society">Egypt Exploration Society ">Egypt_Exploration_Society.html" ;"title="Egypt Exploration Society">Egypt Exploration Society © Egypt Exploration Society 2011 Registered Charity No. 212384
retrieved 11;26GMT 1.10.11
''An Exploratory Geophysical Survey at the Pyramid Complex of Senwosret III at Dahshur, Egypt, in Search of Boats'' from Copyright © 1999–2011 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights Reserved
retrieved 12:06GMT 1.10.11 research on constructions within Dashar necropolis since 200
© 2011 Deutsches Archäologisches Institut
(re-retrieved 12:18GMT 2.10.11)

References

{{Reflist

External links

Leiden Mission database-(Copyright by Feet XL© 2011)
retrieved 13:36 1.10.11
Émile Prisse d'Avennes - [Necropolis of Memphis (pyramids of Giza)
- Bibliothèque nationale de France Ancient Egyptian funerary practices