The High Steward Amenhotep

Memphis was the main city of the country in most periods of ancient Egyptian history. From here it was easy to sail up the Nile to southern Egypt and to reach all parts of the Delta via the different branches of the river. It is no surprise that modern Cairo is not far from Memphis. The region is simply the best from which to rule the country. In the New Kingdom, Thebes became an important city, but from the earliest times there were also royal palaces at Memphis; one wonders whether Thebes was always more a symbolic capital, while the real power centre was in Memphis. Most state officials and the king were buried at Thebes, but even this changed over time, and under the Eighteenth Dynasty k