Memphis, the old capital, had its own account of creation, built on the one from Heliopolis. In it the creator is Ptah, the god of Memphis and patron of craftsmen.
Key idea
In the Memphis account, Atum and the Ennead do not disappear. They come into being through Ptah, and the Ennead are pictured as the teeth and lips in Ptah’s mouth, the organs of his creative speech. The older account is placed inside the newer one.
Why it works
The Shabaka Stone
The text is carved on a slab of dark stone now in the British Museum. Its opening says that King Shabaka, a Kushite king of the 25th Dynasty (c. 716–702 BC in Shaw’s dates), found an ancient writing eaten by worms and had it copied on stone. Later the stone was used as a millstone: a square hole in the middle and grinding marks have worn away much of the text.
How old is the text?
Early 20th-century scholars, among them Breasted, read the old-fashioned language as proof that the text was Old Kingdom. Since the 1970s many scholars have argued that it was written much later, perhaps in the New Kingdom or in Shabaka’s own time, in a style made to look ancient. There is no agreement, so it is best to say: the stone is 25th Dynasty, and the date of the text is debated.
Worked example: Dating carefully
- The stone itself dates from Shabaka’s reign, c. 716–702 BC.
- Its language looks old, but many scholars think it was written later in an old style.
- The date of composition is debated.
Answer: Say: the stone is 25th Dynasty; when the text was written is debated.
Worked example: Two creators
- Each city told the story with its own god first.
- The Memphis text includes Atum and the Ennead, as Ptah’s mouth.
- Egyptians held such accounts side by side.
Answer: Memphis placed the Heliopolis account inside its own.
Common mistake