Serapis

Roman small bronze weight of Serapis.

Serapis was a Hellenistic-Egyptian god in Antiquity. His most renowned temple was the Serapeum of Alexandria.Under Ptolemy Soter, efforts were made to integrate Egyptian religion with that of their Hellenic rulers. Ptolemy's policy was to find a deity that should win the reverence alike of both groups, despite the curses of the Egyptian priests against the gods of the previous foreign ruler. Alexander the Great had attempted to use Amen for this purpose, but he was more prominent in Upper Egypt, and not as popular with those in Lower Egypt, where the Greeks had stronger influence. The Greeks had little respect for animal-headed figures, and so a Greek-style anthromorphic statue was chosen as the idol,and proclaimed as the equivalent of the highly popular Apis.It was named Aser-hapi (i.e. Osiris-Apis), which became Serapis, and was said to be Osiris in full, rather than just his Ka.

Material: Bronze

Size: 2,4 x 2,0 cm

Period: 1st - 2nd Century AD

2011TG1150    Price  € 350,00