Serapeum of Saqqara

The Serapeum ( ancient Egyptian Kemet, also Kem ) was used in Ancient Egypt the veneration of the sacred Apis bull, which was kept in the stables are located above ground. After her death, the bulls were embalmed and buried in the underground Nekropolenbereich. The Serapeum of Saqqara is close to the king (Pharaoh) Djoser Step Pyramid. Although the bull was presented as a symbol of power during the first Egyptian dynasties and also in the Pyramid Texts, a burial place for bulls was mentioned, the first Apis bulls only from the time of Amenhotep III. occupied. The Roman Emperor Honorius had chosen the Serapeum and settled near Coptic monks destroyed much of the bull mummies.

History

The burials were made up to the time of Seti I in individual graves. His son, Ramses II began with the expansion of the graves to long galleries, as they were used until the end of the Ptolemaic period. In addition to the Nekropolenbereichen for the bulls and the stables here were an Osiris - Apis Temple or the Nectanebo I. had built, and a Balsamierungshaus. The complete district is about 7 km long. At the end of the gallery there is a black ceremonial sarcophagus made ​​of highly polished granite. It is provided with inscriptions and carvings.

Research

The Frenchman Paul Lucas was the first who entered the system in the early 18th century. In his time it was still common among the Egyptians that objects from cemeteries, especially in Cairo, have been sold. Lucas therefore also reported by Apis bull canopic jars and parts of bull mummies, which he saw at markets.

Also Auguste Mariette was carefully art objects that were offered to bazaars, to the Serapeum. He went in 1852 to look after and dug the buried under sand dunes from the district. Along a corridor, he discovered 28 grave niches, in which 24 are each an empty granite sarcophagus. Another sarcophagus stands in a side corridor. The sarcophagi are among the greatest of the ancient world and its weight is estimated at 70 to 80 tons.

Why the Egyptians subjected to the trouble to build a plant for extremely heavy sarcophagi, remains controversial. The material had to be out of the 1,000 kilometers away Aswan "imported". In addition, the sarcophagi were partly built into the ground, which ultimately of found content seems to contradict the funeral behavior of the Ancient Egyptians. There was demonstrably a bull cult, and some finds from the late Ptolemaic period are also unique to a cultic Apisverehrung. However, in most of the plant at Saqqara sarcophagi not only bulls were buried without any doubt.