Serapeums

Serapeums are temples or sanctuaries dedicated to Serapis, a Graeco-Egyptian deity created in the Ptolemaic period by syncretizing Egyptian gods with Greek philosophy. The name derives from the Greek Serapeion, often translated as temple of Serapis. The cult of Serapis aimed to unify Greek and Egyptian populations and spread through the eastern Mediterranean under the Ptolemaic and later Roman rule. Serapeums served as religious centers where rituals, offerings, and oracular or cult activities took place; they housed cult statues of Serapis, altars, and often associated dedications to Isis or other deities. In Alexandria, the Serapeum was a major temple complex that also housed the Serapis cult’s temple library and was a major center of learning until its destruction in late antiquity. In Saqqara, the Serapeum is best known not as a temple but as the necropolis of the sacred Apis bulls; its underground galleries and statues formed a monumental burial complex that continued into the Roman era and was rediscovered in the 19th century by Auguste Mariette. Across the eastern Mediterranean, various sanctuaries named Serapeum indicate the spread of the Serapis cult and its adaptation to local religious practices. The term remains a conventional label for temple precincts dedicated to Serapis and is used in archaeology and classical studies to refer to multiple sites, each with its own historical context and architectural characteristics.