Ptah is the Great God of Memphis, the capital of the dual Egyptian state for most of its history.

He was depicted as a mummified man wearing a skullcap, bearing the Staff of Life, Power and Stability in his unfettered arms, and standing on a plinth which is part of Ma'at's hieroglyphic name and used as a straightedge by stonemasons and architects.

Ptah is sometimes seen as an abstract form of the "Self-Created One", who effected the creation through the actions of His heart (identified with Horus) and His tongue (identified with Thoth). He set "all the gods in their places and gave all things the breath of life."

As a creator (and more directly involved with the physical act of creation than Ra or Tem), Ptah is intimately connected with the plastic arts and especially with those of architecture and stonemasonry. He is the patron of sculptors, painters, builders and carpenters, as well as anyone who creates with his or her hands.

The transit, which was the stock tool of masons, and the title of Ptah's High Priest, "Master Builder," would centuries later be adopted by a pseudo-Egyptian Western fraternal organization known to the world as Masonry.

The famous Apis Bull cult originally centered on Ptah (and later Osiris). Only one bull at any given time could be "the sacred Apis", the incarnation of the god himself, and when it died they sought a replacement. The candidate had to be a black calf with a white diamond on its forehead, a white, hawk-shaped saddle marking on its back, extra tail hair, and a scarab mark under its tongue.

When they found the new Apis calf, the Egyptians launched into nationwide celebration, since a 'living god' had been born in their midst. They transported the calf along the Nile to Memphis on a specially-built golden barge.

was a time for celebration among ancient Egyptians, since this meant that a living god had been born into their midst. The new Apis was transported to Memphis on a boat with a specially-built golden cabin.