Serapeum of Saqqara

The Serapeum at Saqqara was the burial place of the sacred Apis bulls associated with Ptah, the chief god of nearby Memphis. Certain bulls were selected during life because their physical markings were interpreted as signs of divine status. After death they were mummified and buried ceremonially. The underground complex consists of long galleries cut into the rock, with side chambers that once held the bodies of these sacred animals in massive stone sarcophagi. The cemetery was used from the New Kingdom, beginning by the reign of Amenhotep III, through the Ptolemaic Period. Inscriptions preserve evidence for royal and priestly patronage, including activity connected with Khaemwaset, a son of Ramesses II and High Priest of Ptah, who played an important role in the cult and restoration of older monuments at Saqqara.