Arched limestone stela from the Serapeum of Saqqara (525-404 BC) : The Serapeum of Saqqara was an ancient Egyptian burial site for Sacred Bulls from the Apis temple at Memphis.
The bulls were thought to represent manifestations of the god Ptah, who would become immortal after death as Osiris-Apis, a name that evolved into Serapis (Σέραπις) in the Hellenistic period and Userhapi (ⲟⲩⲥⲉⲣϩⲁⲡⲓ) in Coptic.
The Serapeum is a part of the Saqqara necropolis, which also includes other animal catacombs, most notably the Apis mother cows’ burial chambers. At least 60 Apis Bull’s are known to have been interred at the Serapeum between the New Kingdom and the end of the Ptolemaic Period, a time frame spanning around 1400 years. This stela is now on display at the Musée du Louvre.
