The Serapeum of Saqqara: The Mysterious Necropolis of the Sacred Bulls
The Serapeum of Saqqara, also known as Serapeum, represents one of the most enigmatic and fascinating archaeological sites of all Egypt. Located in the vast necropolis of Saqqara, about 30 kilometres south of Cairo, this underground complex was destined for the burial of the Apis bulls, sacred animals venerated as the living incarnation of the god Ptah, the principal divinity of Memphis. The discovery of the Serapeum in 1850 by the French archaeologist Auguste Mariette marked one of the most thrilling pages in the history of Egyptology and revealed to the world a place of extraordinary religious and cultural importance.
The cult of the Apis bull sinks its roots into the most remote epochs of Egyptian civilisation, dating back at least to the First Dynasty, around 3000 BC. For the ancient Egyptians, the Apis bull was not a simple sacred animal, but a veritable divine manifestation on earth. Each Apis bull was identified through specific signs: it had to be completely black with a white triangular spot on the forehead, a vulture-shaped mark on the back and a scarab under the tongue. At its death, the bull was mummified with the same regard reserved for the pharaohs and buried with royal honours in the Serapeum.
The Discovery of Auguste Mariette
The Journey that Changed History
Auguste Mariette arrived in Egypt in 1850 with the task of acquiring Coptic manuscripts for the Louvre. However, the young French archaeologist was obsessed with a completely different idea. He had read the descriptions of the Greek geographer Strabo, who in the first century BC had mentioned an avenue flanked by sphinxes that led to the Serapeum of Memphis. When Mariette noticed the head of a sphinx that emerged from the sand in the desert of Saqqara, he understood immediately that he was on the right track.
With limited resources and an unshakeable determination, Mariette began the excavations following the alignment of the buried sphinxes. One after the other, the statues emerged from the sand, forming a ceremonial dromos hundreds of metres long. After months of work under the implacable sun of the desert, on 12 November 1851, Mariette finally reached the entrance of the underground complex. The spectacle that presented itself to his eyes surpassed all imagination: a labyrinth of galleries excavated in the living rock, with enormous lateral niches that hosted monumental sarcophagi of colossal dimensions.
The Importance of the Discovery
The discovery of the Serapeum was one of the most significant of nineteenth-century Egyptology. Not only did it confirm the ancient classical sources, but it revealed an aspect of the Egyptian religious cult that had been almost completely forgotten. Mariette found votive stelae, jewels, amulets and inscriptions that allowed the reconstruction of the chronology of the burials of the Apis bulls across several centuries. The discovery was so important that Mariette decided to establish himself permanently in Egypt, becoming subsequently the founder of the Egyptian Museum of Cairo and the first director of the Service of Egyptian Antiquities.
Structure of the Underground Complex
The Principal Galleries
The Serapeum develops in a system of underground galleries excavated in the limestone rock several metres below the surface of the desert. The complex is subdivided into two principal sections: the most ancient galleries, dating back to the Ramesside period (Nineteenth Dynasty, around 1300 BC), and the more recent galleries, built during the Twenty-sixth Dynasty and the Ptolemaic period (from the seventh to the first century BC).
The more recent galleries, which are those accessible to visitors, extend for over 350 metres in length. The principal corridor is about 3 metres wide and over 4 metres high, with 24 enormous lateral niches excavated in the rock, each destined to host a single sarcophagus. The atmosphere inside is suggestive and almost mystical: the artificial light illuminates the limestone walls, creating plays of shadows that accentuate the monumentality of the place.
The Colossal Sarcophagi
The most impressive element of the Serapeum are without doubt the gigantic sarcophagi that occupy the lateral niches. Realised in black granite, pink granite or basalt, these monumental funerary containers reach astonishing dimensions: each measures about 4 metres in length, 2.3 metres in width and 3.3 metres in height, with a total weight estimated around 70 tonnes. The lids alone weigh about 30 tonnes.
The perfection of the workmanship of these sarcophagi represents still today an enigma for scholars. The internal and external surfaces are polished with a millimetric precision, the angles are perfectly squared and the dimensional tolerances are comparable to those obtainable with modern machine tools. How the ancient Egyptians managed to sculpt, transport and position these enormous monoliths in underground galleries remains an open question that fuels academic debates and alternative theories.
The Mystery of the Empty Sarcophagi
When Mariette opened the sarcophagi, he found them almost all empty. Only in one was found a relatively intact bull mummy, together with gold jewels and amulets. The absence of remains in the majority of the sarcophagi has given rise to numerous speculations. Some scholars hypothesise that the sarcophagi were plundered in antiquity, while others suggest that not all were effectively used for burials. A particularly intriguing theory proposes that the massive containers had a ritual function different from simple burial, perhaps linked to ceremonies of spiritual transformation.
The Cult of the Apis Bull
Origins and Religious Significance
The cult of the Apis bull is one of the most ancient and persistent of Egyptian religion. The bull was considered the ba (the soul) of the god Ptah, creator of the universe according to Memphite theology. When an Apis bull died, it was believed that its divine essence transferred itself immediately into a new calf born in the same moment, thus guaranteeing the continuity of the divine presence on earth.
The Apis bull lived in the sacred enclosure of the temple of Ptah at Memphis, where it was cared for by specialised priests, fed with prized foods and visited by pilgrims coming from all of Egypt. On determined occasions, the bull was led in procession through the streets of the city, and the people could consult it as an oracle: the direction in which the bull moved or the food that it chose were interpreted as divine responses.
The Burial Ritual
At the death of the Apis bull, the entire Egypt entered into a period of mourning comparable to that for the death of a pharaoh. The body of the animal was carried to the sacred place of mummification, where the priests proceeded to the embalming according to precise rituals that lasted 70 days, the same period foreseen for the sovereigns. The bull was eviscerated, treated with natron and wrapped in bandages of prized linen, with protective amulets positioned between the layers of bandaging.
The funeral procession that accompanied the mummified bull to the Serapeum was an event of great solemnity. The cortege travelled the ceremonial dromos flanked by sphinxes, accompanied by priests who recited ritual formulae and burned incense. The sarcophagus was lowered into the prepared niche and sealed, while votive offerings and commemorative stelae were deposited nearby.
Modern Explorations and Recent Discoveries
Technologies at the Service of Archaeology
In the last decades, the Serapeum has been the object of new investigations conducted with avant-garde technologies. Three-dimensional laser scans have allowed the creation of precise digital models of the entire underground complex, revealing architectural details previously escaped from observation. Geophysical analyses have suggested the existence of further galleries and chambers not yet explored, fuelling the hope of future sensational discoveries.
Materialographic studies on the sarcophagi have confirmed that the granite comes from the quarries of Aswan, over 800 kilometres away. The analyses have also revealed traces of copper and stone tools used for the working, although the precision reached remains difficultly explicable with the tools of the epoch. Some surfaces present a finish so smooth as to suggest the use of advanced polishing techniques that have not yet been fully understood.
The Academic Debate
The Serapeum continues to be at the centre of lively academic debates. The principal questions regard the exact chronology of the burials, the construction techniques of the sarcophagi and the profound significance of the cult of the Apis bulls in the wider context of Egyptian religion. Some researchers have proposed that the Serapeum also had an astronomical function, with the alignment of the galleries correlated to specific stellar configurations, although this hypothesis remains controversial.
Tips for the Visit
How to Get There
The Serapeum is found inside the necropolis of Saqqara, reachable from Cairo in about 45 minutes by car. It is advisable to combine the visit with that of the Step Pyramid of Djoser and the other monuments of the necropolis to optimise the time available. It is possible to hire a taxi for the entire day or to participate in an organised tour that includes also nearby Memphis.
What to Expect
The visit to the Serapeum is a unique and suggestive experience. One descends along an inclined ramp until reaching the underground galleries, where the temperature is sensibly fresher than outside. The corridors are artificially illuminated, but it is advisable to bring a torch to better appreciate the details of the sarcophagi. The visit lasts generally between one and two hours, according to the time dedicated to the observation of the single sarcophagi and the inscriptions.
Practical Recommendations
Wear comfortable shoes with non-slip soles, since the floor of the galleries can be slippery. Bring with you water and a hat for the open-air route between the entrance of the necropolis and the Serapeum. Photography is generally permitted inside the galleries, but the use of flash is prohibited to preserve the surfaces of the sarcophagi. Visitors who suffer from claustrophobia should evaluate the visit carefully, since the galleries, although ample, are found several metres underground and the only way out is the way in.
The Serapeum of Saqqara offers a completely different experience compared to the more famous pyramids of Giza. Here one does not admire the external monumentality, but one is captured by the mystery and the solemnity of an underground space that has guarded for millennia the secrets of one of the most fascinating cults of ancient Egypt. A visit that leaves a lasting impression and that pushes one to reflect on the complexity and the depth of Egyptian civilisation.
