Serapis, << suh RAY pihs >>, was a god combining characteristics of the Egyptian gods Osiris and Apis with features of the Greek gods Zeus, Dionysus, and Hades. The Ptolemaic rulers of Egypt created and promoted the cult of Serapis for their multicultural empire in the Mediterranean region. About 323 B.C., Ptolemy I built an elaborate temple for Serapis, the Serapeum, in Alexandria. There the god was portrayed seated on a throne in the pose of a royal figure like Zeus, king of the Greek gods.
Serapis derived his name and many of his features from the Egyptian royal god Osiris-Apis. Apis was the earthly form of Osiris, in the figure of a bull, who was worshiped in the Egyptian city of Memphis. Like Osiris and Hades, Serapis was a god of the underworld. He was also associated with the Egyptian goddess Isis, the wife of Osiris. Like Osiris and Dionysus, Serapis was a god of fertility. He protected seafarers, inspired oracles (prophets or prophetesses), and provided miraculous cures to the ill.
See also Osiris.
