Statue of Serapis – Antalya Archaeological Museum
This marble statue of Serapis was found in Perge. It dates back to the 2nd century CE.
Serapis is a Graeco-Egyptian god. The cult of Serapis was introduced during the 3rd century BCE on the orders of Ptolemy I of Egypt as a means to unify the Greeks and Egyptians in his realm.
Serapis continued to increase in popularity during the Roman period, often replacing Osiris as the consort of Isis in temples outside Egypt. In 389, a Christian mob led by the Patriarch Theophilus of Alexandria destroyed the Alexandrian serapeum, but the cult survived until all forms of pagan religion were suppressed under Theodosius I in 391.
The god was depicted as Greek in appearance, but with Egyptian trappings, and combined iconography from a great many cults, signifying both abundance and resurrection.
Statue group of Persephone (as Isis) and Pluto
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