Since the Greeks had little respect for animal-headed deities, a Greek statue was created as an idol and proclaimed as an anthropomorphic equivalent of the highly popular Apis. It was named Aser-hapi (i.e. Osiris-Apis), which became Serapis, and later was said to represent Osiris fully, rather than just his Ka.

One of the most important animal deities of ancient Egypt was the sacred Apis bull, whose worship is attested from Dynasty I. Near the Ptah temple at Memphis, Egypt's old capital, a living representative of the Apis bull was stabled.

Beginning with the reign of Amenhotep III (1390–1352 B.C.) in Dynasty 18, the place of Apis burials gradually became a huge and growing underground system of chambers called the Serapeum in the Memphite necropolis, Saqqara.

When dead, the bull Apis united with the god Osiris in the form of Osiris-Apis (the Serapis of the Hellenistic Age), and was buried at Saqqarah, in the so-called Serapeum, inside a gigantic stone sarcophagus, embalmed and endowed with rich grave goods.

The bull Apis was one of the most important deities of Ancient Egypt, and his cult dates back to the first dynastic periods. He was mainly venerated in Memphis, where he was linked to the god Ptah, as his living image and the manifestation of his “glorious soul”.

One of the most important animal deities of ancient Egypt was the sacred Apis bull, whose worship is attested from the 1st Dynasty. Near the Ptah temple at Memphis, Egypt’s old capital, a living representative of the Apis bull was stabled.

Apis (Hapi in Egyptian) was a live bull kept in the temple of Ptah, in Memphis. More than a sacred animal, Apis was the tangible, living, breathing expression of a primary god that could not be directly experienced in daily life. Apis served as an intermediary between humans and an all-powerful god (originally Ptah, later Osiris, then Atum).

Title: Apis Bull Figure. Period: Late Period. Dynasty: Dynasty 26–30. Date: 664–332 B.C. Geography: From Egypt. Medium: Green faience, discolored. Dimensions: H.10 × L.10.5 cm (3 15/16 × 4 1/8 in.) Credit Line: Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917. Object Number: 17.194.2222

Nov 16, 2024 · These are bronze statues of the Apis Bull. The worship of the Apis Bull in Egypt can be traced back to as early as the First Dynasty!

This fine votive bronze statuette of outstanding quality depicting a proportionately represented Apis bull dates from Dynasty XXVI of the Saite Period, from Memphis. The bull strides forward with...