The Serapeum of Saqqara is a serapeum located north west of the Pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara, a necropolis near Memphis in Lower Egypt. It was a burial place of Apis bulls, sacred bulls that were incarnations of the ancient Egyptian deity Ptah.

What is the Serapeum in Egypt?

A serapeum is a temple or other religious institution dedicated to the syncretic Greco-Egyptian deity Serapis, who combined aspects of Osiris and Apis in a humanized form that was accepted by the Ptolemaic Greeks of Alexandria.

Where is the Serapeum of Alexandria?

The site is located on a rocky plateau, overlooking land and sea. By all detailed accounts, the Serapeum was the largest and most magnificent of all temples in the Greek quarter of Alexandria. Besides the image of the god, the temple precinct housed an offshoot collection of the great Library of Alexandria.

Who destroyed Serapeum?

There Serapis was worshiped in a purely Greek ritual until ad 391, when the Serapeum was destroyed by the patriarch Theophilus and his followers.

Who built the Serapeum?

The Serapeum was built during the reign of Ptolemy III Euergetes (246–221 BCE), on a hill to the west of the city just outside the ancient Ptolemaic city boundary, in what is today Kom El Shogafa district.

The Secrets of the Serapeum of Saqqara in Egypt | Ancient Architects

How old is the Serapeum?

History. The most ancient burials found at this site date back to the reign of Amenhotep III, the ninth pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty during the 1350s BC.

How many Sphinx are in Egypt?

In ancient Egypt there are three distinct types of sphinx: The Androsphinx, with the body of a lion and head of person; a Criosphinx, body of a lion with the head of ram; and Hierocosphinx, that had a body of a lion with a head of a falcon or hawk.

What was Serapis the god of?

Gradually Serapis became revered not only as a Sun god (“Zeus Serapis”) but also as a lord of healing and of fertility. ... His worship was established in Rome and throughout the Mediterranean, following the trade routes and being particularly prominent in the great commercial cities.

Who pillaged the library of Alexandria?

The first-century AD Roman playwright and Stoic philosopher Seneca the Younger quotes Livy's Ab Urbe Condita Libri, which was written between 63 and 14 BC, as saying that the fire started by Caesar destroyed 40,000 scrolls from the Library of Alexandria.

When was the Serapeum discovered?

The Serapeum, whose origin dates back to around 1400 BC, was discovered in 1851 by French Egyptologist Auguste Mariette, founder of the first department of Egyptian antiquities.

What is the Apis bull?

w), Coptic: ϩⲁⲡⲉ ḥapə), alternatively spelled Hapi-ankh, was a sacred bull worshiped in the Memphis region, identified as the son of Hathor, a primary deity in the pantheon of ancient Egypt. ... Initially, he was assigned a significant role in her worship, being sacrificed and reborn.

Where did Osiris go?

Osiris' body traveled out to sea and eventually his coffin became lodged in a great tamarisk tree growing near Byblos in Phoenicia.

What are the followers of Serapis called?

The worshipers of Serapis (here) are called Christians, and those who are devoted to the god Serapis (I find), call themselves Bishops of Christ. ' In fact, it appears that some followers of Serapis were eventually expelled from Rome when, in 19 AD, Tiberius also expelled the Jews.

What does Serapis mean?

: an Egyptian god combining attributes of Osiris and Apis and having a widespread cult in Ptolemaic Egypt and ancient Greece.

What is the Saqqara tomb?

Saqqara contains numerous pyramids, including the world-famous Step pyramid of Djoser, sometimes referred to as the Step Tomb, and a number of mastaba tombs. ... Saqqara contains the oldest complete stone building complex known in history, the Pyramid of Djoser, built during the Third Dynasty.

Is a sarcophagus A?

A sarcophagus is a stone coffin or a container to hold a coffin. Although early sarcophagi were made to hold coffins within, the term has come to refer to any stone coffin that is placed above ground. ... Eventually, sarcophagi were carved to look like the person within, following the curve of the mummy's body.

Was anything recovered from the Library of Alexandria?

The Great Library of Alexandria did recover, however, its burned books lamented in the Caesarean fire of 48 BC—just as some remnant survived the depredations of Caracalla in AD 215, by which time the "daughter" library in the Temple of Serapis had been completed (Caracalla residing there while in Alexandria).

Are there any remains of the Library of Alexandria?

The Library Of Alexandria: Known Facts

Since there are no archaeological remains left, we only have ancient texts to try and rebuild its history.

How far did the burning of the Library of Alexandria set us back?

Not really. In overall terms it didn't really set European culture back at all: it was a single incident in a very large world, and there were many other good libraries around the Roman world. You'll notice the Roman Empire went on expanding for another few centuries afterwards.

What did Sekhmet look like?

She was usually depicted as a lioness or as a woman with the head of a lioness, on which was placed the solar disk and the uraeus serpent. Sekhmet was sometimes identified with other Egyptian goddesses, such as Hathor, Bastet, and Mut.

Is Serapis a Zeus?

Serapis is be a composite deity primarily of the Greek god Zeus and the Egyptian god Osiris.

How did sphinx nose fall off?

The Egyptian Arab historian al-Maqrīzī wrote in the 15th century that the nose was actually destroyed by a Sufi Muslim named Muhammad Sa'im al-Dahr. In 1378 CE, Egyptian peasants made offerings to the Great Sphinx in the hope of controlling the flood cycle, which would result in a successful harvest.

What is under the Sphinx?

Legend has it that there is a maze below the paws of the Sphinx that leads to the mystery-shrouded Hall of Records, where all essential knowledge of alchemy, astronomy, mathematics, magic and medicine is stored.

Where did the Sphinx come from?

From Egypt, the sphinx imported to both Asia and Greece around 15th to 16th century B.C. Compared with the Egyptian model, the Asian sphinx had eagle wings, was frequently female, and often sat on its haunches with one paw raised in depictions.