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Serapis

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Ancient marble bust of the deity Serapis, a Roman copy of a Greek original from the 4th century BC, displayed in the Museo Pio-Clementino.

Serapis

Serapis was a special god loved by both Egyptians and Greeks. He came from mixing the worship of two important Egyptian gods, Osiris and Apis. A ruler named Ptolemy I Soter helped make Serapis very popular.

People thought Serapis was kind and helped them in trouble. He was often shown with symbols of plenty, like a basket full of food called a cornucopia. In pictures, he sometimes looked like other gods, such as Hades or Dionysus.

Serapis had many temples, and the biggest one was in the city of Alexandria. People from all over Rome and Greece visited these temples to honor him. Serapis was a symbol of safety and good luck for many ancient people.

Images

An ancient Roman coin depicting the god Serapis, used for learning about history and art.
An ancient Roman bronze tablet with a Greek inscription dedicated to the god Serapis.
An ancient pendant showing Sarapis, a god from Hellenistic Egypt, wearing traditional Greek-style clothing and a basket on his head.
A view of the Western side of the Parthenon, an ancient Greek temple located in Athens.
An ancient artwork showing a priest from the temple of Serapis, part of the Berlin Art Collection.
A classical sculpture of Serapis from the Louvre Museum.
An ancient statue of the god Serapis from the Begram collection at the Musée Guimet.
Ancient bust of the god Sarapis from the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki, dating back to 150-200 CE.
A statue head of the ancient god Sarapis, displayed during a special exhibit at the California Science Center.
An ancient Roman coin from the time of Emperor Hadrian, showing the god Serapis and the emperor's portrait.
Ancient Egyptian bust of the deity Serapis, showcasing artwork from the late period to the Roman era.
An illustration of an ancient pyramid in a desert landscape.
An ancient Roman oil lamp showing the god Serapis, on display at the British Museum.

Related articles

Egyptians
Osiris
Hades
Dionysus

This article is a child-friendly adaptation of the Wikipedia article on Serapis, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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