Serapis

Serapis

Graeco-Egyptian deityFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Discussion (8)

Serapis

Etymology

Iconography

Serapis cult history

Jewish and Christian views

Gallery

See also

Notes

References

Sources

External links

For other usages, see Serapis (disambiguation).

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 the Ptolemaic Kingdom.

Quick Facts Name in hieroglyphs, Major cult center ...

Serapis	Serapis	Serapis	Serapis	Serapis	Serapis	Serapis	Serapis	Serapis	Serapis	Serapis	Serapis
Marble bust of Serapis wearing a modius	Marble bust of Serapis wearing a modius	Marble bust of Serapis wearing a modius	Marble bust of Serapis wearing a modius	Marble bust of Serapis wearing a modius	Marble bust of Serapis wearing a modius	Marble bust of Serapis wearing a modius	Marble bust of Serapis wearing a modius	Marble bust of Serapis wearing a modius	Marble bust of Serapis wearing a modius	Marble bust of Serapis wearing a modius	Marble bust of Serapis wearing a modius
Name in hieroglyphs											wsjr-ḥp Koinē Greek: Σέραπις
Major cult center	Serapeum of Alexandria	Serapeum of Alexandria	Serapeum of Alexandria	Serapeum of Alexandria	Serapeum of Alexandria	Serapeum of Alexandria	Serapeum of Alexandria	Serapeum of Alexandria	Serapeum of Alexandria	Serapeum of Alexandria	Serapeum of Alexandria

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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.