To navigate the timeline, click and drag it with your mouse, or click on the timeline overview on the bottom.
3500 BCE
3000 BCE
2500 BCE
2000 BCE
1500 BCE
1000 BCE
500 BCE
0 CE
500 CE
3150 BCE - 30 BCE: Life of the City of Memphis, Egypt.
3150 BCE: Memphis Egypt known as Hut-Ka-Ptah ("Mansion of the Soul of Ptah").
3150 BCE - 2613 BCE: Memphis called Inbu-Hedj ("White Walls").
2613 BCE - 2181 BCE: Memphis is capital of Old Kingdom in Egypt.
2332 BCE - 2283 BCE: During reign of Pepi I Memphis becomes known as Men-nefer ("Enduring and Beautiful") which Greeks translate as Memphis.
2181 BCE - 2040 BCE: Capital of Egypt moves from Memphis to Herakleopolis during the First Intermediate Period.
2040 BCE: Thebes is capital of Egypt, Memphis continues as important religious and commercial site.
1991 BCE: Iti-tawi (Lisht) is capital of Egypt, monuments still raised at Memphis.
1353 BCE - 1336 BCE: Akhenaten builds temple to Aten at Memphis.
1279 BCE - 1213 BCE: Ramesses II honors Memphis with monuments and building projects.
671 BCE: Second Egyptian Campaign, Assyrian army successfully captures Memphis and conquers Egypt.
671 BCE: Memphis destroyed by Assyrian king Esarhaddon.
670 BCE - 668 BCE: Memphis rebuilt.
666 BCE: Memphis destroyed by Assyrian king Ashurbanipal.
664 BCE - 525 BCE: Memphis rebuilt during the time of the Saite Pharaohs.
525 BCE: Persian Invasion of Egypt. Memphis becomes capital of Satrapy.
331 BCE: Alexander the Great is crowned pharaoh of Egypt at Memphis.
323 BCE: Ptolemy I has Alexander the Great's body entombed at Memphis.
283 BCE - 246 BCE: Ptolemy II has Alexander the Great's body moved to Alexandria. Memphis declines in prestige.
196 BCE: Memphis Decree (Rosetta Stone) issued by Ptolemy V during whose reign city declines with rest of country.
30 BCE: Egypt taken by Rome; Memphis is neglected and begins final decline to ruin.
640 CE: Arab invasion of Egypt; Memphis ruins used as source of stone for building cities of Fustat and Cairo.