Apis bull cult
E543422
The Apis bull cult was an ancient Egyptian religious tradition that venerated a living sacred bull as an earthly manifestation of the god Ptah (and later Osiris), central to royal ideology, oracles, and elaborate burial rituals.
Statements (48)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
ancient Egyptian religious cult
ⓘ
bull veneration tradition ⓘ |
| archaeologicalEvidence |
inscriptions recording reigns of pharaohs at Apis burials
ⓘ
sarcophagi of Apis bulls ⓘ |
| archaeologicalSite | Saqqara NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| associatedDeity |
Osiris
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Osorapis NERFINISHED ⓘ Ptah NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| associatedWith |
Memphite theology
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
cult of Serapis ⓘ |
| burialPlace | Serapeum of Saqqara NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| burialType | rock-cut catacombs for Apis bulls ⓘ |
| centeredIn | Memphis NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| coreBelief |
deceased Apis bull identified with Osiris
ⓘ
living Apis bull is earthly manifestation of Ptah ⓘ |
| country |
Pharaonic Egypt
ⓘ
surface form:
Ancient Egypt
|
| cultCenter | Temple of Ptah at Memphis NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| geographicLocation | Lower Egypt NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| iconography |
bull with solar disk between horns
ⓘ
bull with uraeus on forehead ⓘ |
| languageOfSources | Egyptian hieroglyphs NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| linkedConcept |
agricultural prosperity
ⓘ
divine kingship in Egypt ⓘ fertility symbolism ⓘ oracular divination ⓘ |
| mainDeity | Apis NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| politicalFunction |
legitimization of pharaoh
ⓘ
state-sponsored temple cult ⓘ |
| religion | ancient Egyptian religion ⓘ |
| ritualPractice |
elaborate burial of deceased Apis bulls
ⓘ
oracular responses through movements and behavior of the bull ⓘ public processions of the Apis bull ⓘ selection of a living bull with specific markings ⓘ |
| roleInReligion |
funerary religion
ⓘ
oracular consultation ⓘ royal ideology ⓘ |
| selectionCriteria |
crescent-shaped marking under tongue of bull
ⓘ
triangular white marking on forehead of bull ⓘ vulture-shaped marking on back of bull ⓘ |
| successorTradition | Hellenistic cult of Serapis ⓘ |
| timePeriod |
Early Dynastic Period of Egypt
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Late Period of Egypt NERFINISHED ⓘ Middle Kingdom of Egypt NERFINISHED ⓘ New Kingdom of Egypt NERFINISHED ⓘ Old Kingdom of Egypt NERFINISHED ⓘ Ptolemaic Kingdom NERFINISHED ⓘ Roman Egypt NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| veneratedAnimal | bull ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.