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Apis Bull
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Sacred animal cults have a long history in ancient Egypt, but they became even more important in the Ptolemaic and Roman periods. Because each god could incarnate himself into any animal species, beasts of all sorts--dogs, cats, ibises, crocodiles--were protected, venerated, mummified, and collected by the thousands in specialized animal cemeteries. The sacred bull cults were different. Apis, the bull of Memphis, was a god in his own right. But he was also associated with other deities, such as Ptah, the god of Memphis, and Osiris, in the form of Osiris-Apis (or Serapis). Statues and reliefs always show him crowned with a sun disk and cobra. When an Apis bull died, he was given a burial fit for a king in an area of the Memphite cemetery known as the Serapeum.
| Artist / Maker | Egypt, Greco-Roman period (332 BCE–395 CE), Ptolemaic dynasty (305–30 BCE) |
|---|---|
| Date | 400–100 BCE |
| Culture / Origin | Egypt, Greco-Roman period (332 BCE–395 CE), Ptolemaic dynasty (305–30 BCE) |
| Medium | serpentinite |
| Dimensions | Overall: 53 x 19 x 59 cm (20 7/8 x 7 1/2 x 23 1/4 in.) |
| Department | Egyptian and Ancient Near Eastern Art |
| Type | Sculpture |
About the Artist
Provenance & Source
Image & data: Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 / Public Domain.
Condition
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