wsjr-ḥp
37-515: B C D F G H I K M N P Q R S T U W Serapis or Sarapis is a Graeco-Egyptian god. A syncretic deity derived from the worship of the Egyptian Osiris and Apis , Serapis was extensively popularized in the third century BC on the orders of Greek Pharaoh Ptolemy I Soter , as a means to unify the Greek and Egyptian subjects of
74-837: A main building and two round towers. In the Christian New Testament, the Church at Pergamon, inside the main building of the Red Basilica, is listed as one of the Seven Churches to which the Book of Revelation was addressed ( Revelation 2:12 ). Another serapeum was in Ephesus , which is near present-day Selçuk , İzmir Province , Turkey . The temple is located behind the Library of Celsus . This Egyptian temple
111-684: A marble stairway that connected the base of the hill to the sanctuary. An enormous fragment of entablature , weighing approximately 100 tons and 34 m (1,200 cu ft) in volume (the largest in Rome), belongs to the original temple, as do the statues of the Nile and the Tiber , moved by Michelangelo to the Capitoline Hill in front of the Senate building. Emperor Hadrian (117–138) ordered
148-500: 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 . There were several such religious centers, each of which was called a serapeion/serapeum ( Ancient Greek : Σεραπεῖον ) or poserapi ( Ancient Greek : Ποσεραπι ), coming from an Egyptian name for
185-571: Is a typical Roman sanctuary, on a raised platform and with a row of columns at the entrance, where a mosaic representing Apis in a typically Egyptian manner can still be seen. From this temple likely came the statue that Bryaxis copied for the Serapeum in Alexandria. The Macellum of Pozzuoli , marketplace or macellum of the Roman city of Puteoli (now known as Pozzuoli ) was first excavated in
222-755: Is located north west of the Pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara , a necropolis near Memphis in Lower Egypt . It was a burial place of the Apis , sacred bulls that were incarnations of Ptah . It was believed that the bulls became immortal after death as Osiris-Apis, a name shortened to Serapis in the Hellenic period. Another serapeum was located at Canopus , in the Nile Delta near Alexandria. This sanctuary, dedicated to Isis and her consort Serapis, became one of
259-518: Is something of a mixup: The unconnected Babylonian god Ea ( Enki ) was titled Šar Apsi , meaning "king of the Apsu" or "the watery deep", and Ea as Šar Apsi seems to be the deity intended in the description of Alexander's death. Since this "Sarapis" had a temple at Babylon , and was of such importance that only Sarapis is named as being consulted on behalf of the dying king, Sarapis of Babylon appears to have radically altered perceptions of mythologies in
296-454: The Pablo de Olavide University announced the discovery of remains of Hadrian's breakfast room which used to show his imperial power. They revealed a structure as a water triclinium and a separate dining room that served as a model for the well-known Serapeum in his villa . The Serapeum of Ostia Antica was inaugurated in 127 CE and dedicated to the syncretic cult of Jupiter Serapis. It
333-667: The Ptolemaic Kingdom . The cultus of Serapis was spread as a matter of deliberate policy by subsequent Ptolemaic kings. Serapis continued to increase in popularity during the Roman Empire , often replacing Osiris as the consort of Isis in temples outside Egypt. Alongside his Egyptian roots he gained attributes from other deities, such as chthonic powers linked to the Greek Hades and Demeter , and benevolence derived from associations with Dionysus . Serapis
370-422: The chthonic aspect of Serapis. To mark the inauguration of his temple, Hadrian struck coinage that carry his effigy accompanied by Serapis, upon a dais where two columns support a round canopy. In this manner, the emperor became synnaos , a companion of the god's arcane naos and equal beneficiary of the cult of Serapis at Canopus. In February 2021, archaeologists led by researcher Rafael Hidalgo Prieto from
407-647: The cult statue from Sinope in Asia Minor, having been instructed in a dream by the " unknown god " to bring the statue to Alexandria , where the statue was pronounced to be Serapis by two religious experts. One of the experts was of the Eumolpidae , the ancient family from whose members the hierophant of the Eleusinian Mysteries had been chosen since before history, and the other was the scholarly Egyptian priest Manetho , which gave weight to
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#1732772423290444-471: The modius , a basket / grain-measure, on his head, since it was a Greek symbol for the land of the dead. He also held a sceptre in his hand indicating his rulership, with Cerberus , gatekeeper of the underworld, resting at his feet. The statue also had what appeared to be a serpent at its base, fitting the Egyptian symbol of rulership, the uraeus . Originally Demotic wsjr-ḥp, (" Osiris - Apis "),
481-518: The 18th century, when the discovery of a statue of Serapis led to the building being misidentified as the city's serapeum, the Temple of Serapis. Under that name, the site had considerable influence on early geology as a band of boreholes affecting the three standing columns suggested that the building had been partly below sea level for some period. A Latin inscription and other archaeological finds including statues, busts and other objects indicating
518-489: The 5th century. The temple built on Quirinal Hill and dedicated to Serapis was, by most surviving accounts, the most sumptuous and architectonically ambitious of those built on the hill; its remains are still visible between Palazzo Colonna and the Pontifical Gregorian University . The sanctuary, which lay between today's piazza della Pilotta and the large square facing Quirinal Palace ,
555-413: The city during the 1st century and erected in couples, followed. The centre of the square was likely occupied by the temple dedicated to Isis, while the third section, a semicircular exedra with an apse presumably hosted the altar dedicated to Serapis. Fragments of the obelisks, some quite large, have been found around the current church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva; some archaeologists have proposed that
592-510: The city of Rome was named Isis et Serapis because it contained a temple dedicated to the two Egyptian deities. The structure, originally dedicated to Isis alone, was built by Quintus Caecilius Metellus Pius in the first half of the 1st century BCE to celebrate his father's victory over Jugurtha . The complex, of which only parts of the foundations remain, was originally terraced; during the Flavian dynasty , it underwent major renovations, and
629-465: The construction of a "canopus" in his villa in Tivoli with typical imperial grandeur: an immense rectangular tank representing a canal, 119 m (390 ft) long by 18 m (59 ft) wide was surrounded by porticoes and statues, leading the way to a Serapeum. Protected by a monumental dome , the sanctuary was composed of a public area and a more intimate subterranean part that was dedicated to
666-504: The cult of Serapis was associated to that of Isis. The temple was finally demolished during the 6th century. This temple, dedicated to Isis and Serapis, was first dedicated by the triumvirs in 43 BCE in Rome. However, due to later tensions between Octavian (later Augustus Caesar) and Marc Antony, the temple was not built. Following the Battle at Actium, Augustus banned the religion from within
703-531: The great capital of Alexandria. With his (i.e. Osiris's) wife Isis , and their son Horus (in the form of Harpocrates ), Serapis won an important place in the Greek world . In his 2nd-century CE Description of Greece , Pausanias notes two Serapeia on the slopes of Acrocorinth above the rebuilt Roman city of Corinth , and one at Copae in Boeotia. Serapis figured among the international deities whose cult
740-530: The judgement both for the Egyptians and the Greeks. Plutarch may not be correct, however, as some Egyptologists allege that the "Sinope" in the tale is really the hill of Sinopeion, a name given to the site of the already existing Serapeum at Memphis . Also, according to Tacitus , Serapis (i.e., Apis explicitly identified as Osiris in full) had been the god of the village of Rhakotis before it expanded into
777-489: The late 4th century, when a Christian mob directed by Pope Theophilus of Alexandria destroyed the Serapeum in Alexandria some time around 391 CE, during one of the frequent religious riots in the city. The origins of Serapis has been the source of speculation by both Jewish and Christian philosophers in ancient times. Tertullian in early 3rd century AD believed that belief in Serapis was inspired by Patriarch Joseph who
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#1732772423290814-623: The most famous cult centers of the Ptolemaic Kingdom and Roman Egypt . Its festivals and rites were so popular that the site became an architectural model for sanctuaries to the Egyptian gods throughout the Roman Empire . At this Graeco-Roman site, a sacred temenos enclosed the temple dedicated to the gods, which was located behind a propylaea or peristyle court. Auxiliary shrines dedicated to other, less universal, Egyptian deities could be found here as well, including those dedicated to Anubis ( Hermanubis ), Hermes Trismegistus ,
851-495: The name of the deity is derived from the syncretic worship of Osiris and the bull Apis as a single deity under the Egyptian name wsjr - ḥp . This name was later written in Coptic as ⲟⲩⲥⲉⲣϩⲁⲡⲓ Userhapi ; Greeks sometimes used an uncommon form Sorapis ( Koinē Greek : Σόραπις ), slightly closer to the Egyptian name(s). The earliest mention of a "Sarapis" occurs in the disputed death scene of Alexander (323 BCE), but it
888-468: The obelisk facing the Pantheon (see picture) may have been repositioned from the temple to its current location. The building was destroyed in the great fire of the year 80 CE and rebuilt by Domitian ; further renovation was initiated by Hadrian, while Septimius Severus ordered the necessary upkeep of the temple's structure. Written records attest to the Serapeum's existence and ritual activity until
925-503: The pomerium of Rome altogether. The temple was finally built by Gaius Caligula on the area known as Campus Martius , between the Saepta Julia and the temple of Minerva c. 37–41 CE. The Serapeum, 240 m (790 ft) long and 60 m (200 ft) wide, was divided in three sections: a rectangular area could be accessed first by walking under monumental arches; an open square, adorned with red granite obelisks brought to
962-638: The post-Alexandrian era. His significance to the Hellenic psyche, due to the mention in the story of Alexander's death, may have also contributed to the choice of the similar-sounding Osiris-Apis as the chief Ptolemaic god, even if the Ptolemies understood that they were different deities. Sarapis ( Σάραπις , earlier form) was the most common form in Ancient Greek until Roman times, when Serapis ( Koinē Greek : Σέραπις , later form) became common. A serapeum ( Koinē Greek : σεραπεῖον serapeion )
999-679: The presence of a Serapeum from the Roman period in Carthage , dedicated to the Egyptian deities Isis and Serapis . Inside Pergamon in Bergama , there is the Temple of Serapis, built for the Egyptian gods in the 2nd century CE and called the Red Basilica ( Kızıl Avlu in Turkish) by locals. This is a basilica -shaped building constructed under the reign of Hadrian . It consists of
1036-478: The syncretism of Thoth and Hermes , Harpocrates, and others. Ritual complexes dedicated to Isis were often built around a well or a spring, which was meant to represent the miraculous annual inundation of the Nile. This was also the case in sanctuaries devoted to the Egyptian gods in Roman-era Delos , where a central basin provided the water element central in the rites of Isis. The Regio III within
1073-424: The temple of Osiris-Apis ( Ancient Egyptian : pr-Wsỉr-Ḥp , lit. 'house of Osiris-Apis'). The Serapeum of Alexandria in the Ptolemaic Kingdom was an ancient Greek temple built by Ptolemy III Euergetes . There are also signs of Harpocrates . It has been referred to as the daughter of the Library of Alexandria . It existed until the end of the fourth century AD. The Serapeum of Saqqara
1110-544: Was any temple or religious precinct devoted to Serapis. The most renowned serapeum was in Alexandria. There is evidence that the cult of Serapis existed before the Ptolemies came to power in Alexandria: a temple of Serapis in Egypt is mentioned in 323 BCE by both Plutarch and Arrian . Ptolemy I Soter made efforts to integrate his new Egyptian subject's religions with that of their Hellenic rulers. Ptolemy's project
1147-470: Was built by Caracalla on the western slopes of the hill, covering over 13,000 m (3.2 acres), as its sides measured 135 by 98 m (443 by 322 ft). It was composed by a long courtyard (surrounded by a colonnade ) and by the ritual area, where statues and obelisks had been erected. Designed to impress its visitors, the temple boasted columns 21.17 m (69 ft 5 in) tall and 2 m (6 ft 7 in) in diameter, visually sitting atop
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1184-569: Was chief administrator of Egypt. The same opinion is also sounded in the Talmud . Egyptian Greeks Too Many Requests If you report this error to the Wikimedia System Administrators, please include the details below. Request from 172.68.168.133 via cp1102 cp1102, Varnish XID 544140399 Upstream caches: cp1102 int Error: 429, Too Many Requests at Thu, 28 Nov 2024 05:40:23 GMT Serapeum A serapeum
1221-430: Was depicted as Greek in appearance but with Egyptian trappings, and combined iconography from a great many cults, signifying both abundance and resurrection. The Greeks had little respect for animal-headed figures, and so a Greek-style anthropomorphic statue was chosen as the idol , and proclaimed as the equivalent of the highly popular Apis. It was named Userhapi (i.e. "Osiris-Apis"), which became Greek Sarapis , and
1258-511: Was in Alexandria, where he stayed before returning to Rome as emperor in 70 CE. From the Flavian Dynasty on, Serapis was one of the deities who might appear on imperial coinage with the reigning emperor. Like many pagan cults of its time, the cult of Serapis declined during the rule of Theodosius I as the emperor, a Christian, implemented religious laws to restrict paganism across the empire . The main cult at Alexandria survived until
1295-671: Was received and disseminated throughout the Roman Empire, with Anubis sometimes identified with Cerberus. At Rome, Serapis was worshiped in the Iseum Campense , the sanctuary of Isis built during the Second Triumvirate in the Campus Martius . The Roman cults of Isis and Serapis gained in popularity late in the 1st century when Vespasian experienced events he attributed to their miraculous agency while he
1332-402: Was said to be Osiris in full, rather than just his ka (life force). The cult statue of Serapis that Ptolemy I erected in Alexandria enriched the texture of the Serapis conception by portraying him in a combination of both Egyptian and Greek styles. The statue suitably depicted a figure resembling Hades or Pluto , both being kings of the Greek underworld , and was shown enthroned with
1369-451: Was to find a deity that would win the reverence of both groups alike, despite the curses the Egyptian priests had chanted against the gods of the previous foreign rulers (e.g. Set , who was lauded by the Hyksos ). The common assertion that Ptolemy "created" the deity is derived from sources which describe him erecting a statue of Serapis in Alexandria. According to Plutarch , Ptolemy stole
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