User:A Small Rat/Serapeum of Saqqara

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The Serapeum of Saqqara was the ancient Egyptian burial place for sacred bulls of the Apis cult at Memphis. It was believed that the bulls were incarnations of the god Ptah, which would become immortal after death as Osiris-Apis, a name which evolved to Serapis (Σέραπις) in the Hellenistic period, and Userhapi (ⲟⲩⲥⲉⲣϩⲁⲡⲓ) in Coptic. It is part of the Saqqara necropolis, which includes several other animal catacombs, notably the burial vaults of the mother cows of the Apis.

Over a timespan of approximately 1400 years, from the New Kingdom of Egypt to the end of the Ptolemaic Period, at least sixty Apis are attested to have been interred at the Serapeum. For the earliest burials, isolated tombs were constructed. As the cult gained importance, underground galleries were dug that connected subsequent burial chambers. Above ground, the main temple enclosure was supplemented by shrines, workshops, housing and administrative quarters.

The Serapeum was closed in the beginning of the Roman period, after 30 BC. In the subsequent centuries large-scale looting took place. Many of the superstructures were dismantled, the burial vaults broken into, and most of the mummified Apis and their opulent burial goods were moved if not removed entirely.

In 1850 Auguste Mariette rediscovered the Serapeum, and excavated it the following years. He found two undisturbed Apis burials, as well as thousands of objects related to centuries of cult activity. These included commemorative stela with dates relating to the life and death of the Apis and the construction of their burial vaults. This data was crucial for the establishment of an Egyptian chronology in the 19th century.

The Greater Vaults of the Serapeum, known for the large sarcophagi for the mummified bulls, are accessible to visitors.

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HISTORY (Contents)

The Apis cult dates back to very early times, possibly founded by pharaoh Menes, around 3,000 BC, though the beginning of the Apis cult can be found dating back as early as the 1st dynasty (2925 – 2775BCE). Additionally, the earliest known Apis burial is attributed to the Crown Prince Djhutmose, the oldest son under Amenhotep III who ruled during the Eighteenth Dynasty in the 14th century BC. Amenhotep III is also credited for creating the first series of tunnels connecting seperate tombs for Apis burials, now known as the Serapeum. These prototype tombs served as the primary type up until Ramesses II. These primary tombs seem to be largely looted.

Khaemweset, working as an administrator during the reign of his father Ramesses II (1279–1213 BC) in the Nineteenth Dynasty, ordered a tunnel with side chambers – now known as the "Lesser Vaults" – to be excavated, for the burial of the Apis bulls. Notably, when Auguste Mariette first opened this section of the tombs, he cited they were in a state of disarray, presumably due to looters.

A second gallery of chambers, now called the "Greater Vaults", was commenced under Psamtik I (664–610 BC) of the Twenty-sixth Dynasty and extended during the Ptolemaic dynasty to approximately 350 m (1,150 ft) in length, 5 m (16 ft) tall and 3 m (9.8 ft) wide, along with a parallel service tunnel. From Amasis II to the end of the Ptolemaic dynasty, the sarcophagi for the Apis bulls were made from hard stone, weighing as much as 62 tonnes (68 short tons) each, including the lid.

A long avenue, flanked by 370-380 sphinxes, likely was built under Nectanebo I, (379/8–361/0 BC) the founder of the Thirtieth Dynasty (the last native one).

Rediscovery and Exploration

The first person to discover and make note of the Serapeum was a Roman traveler by the name of Strabo in 64 BC, who wrote in Geography that there were sphinxes marking the Serapeum in Memphis. The temple was discovered by Auguste Mariette, who had gone to Egypt to collect Coptic-language manuscripts, but later grew interested in the remains of the Saqqara necropolis.

Some individuals entered the tombs in the early 18th century, removing from them such artifacts as canopic jars. In 1848, it would be suggested by Anthony Charles Harris that the sphinxes there on the Saqqara lined the avenue meant to lead the way to the Serapeum. Later, in 1850, Mariette found the head of one sphinx sticking out of the shifting desert dunes, cleared the sand and followed the avenue to the site. In November the following year he entered the catacombs for the first time.

Unfortunately, Mariette left most of his notes unpublished. Many of them got destroyed when the Nile flooded the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities at Boulaq in 1878, and the original diary of the excavations was borrowed by Eugène Grébaut but never returned. Gaston Maspero released one volume of Le Sérapeum de Memphis based on the surviving manuscripts in 1882, a year after Mariette's death.

Much later, in 1985-1986, Mohammed Ibrahim Aly managed to reopen a portion of the complex, revealing further new materials to be studied and documented, but work has been hampered by the durability and stability of surrounding rock that holds up the tomb.