Serapeum Apis Bulls
Encyclopedia
Dynastic Charts
19th Dynasty (a) 		The 19th Dynasty (b)
21st Dynasty Information
22nd Dynasty
This may still be work in progress

The Burial of Apis Bulls in Revised History
The Serapeum is a huge underground catafalque which was anciently used by pharaonic Egyptians to bury their mummified `sacred Apis bulls'. Historians say that this was done once by each pharaoh between Ramses II and Ramses XI but not during most of the 22nd and not at all during the 21st Dynasties. Alltogether 64 bulls were found. Since our chronology deviates significantly from that of conventionally bound historians how are we to explain these burials?

The best way to tabulate the situation may be in table format. First we shall present the names of the kings who burried Apis bulls without regard to their chronology.

Mariette reported on what he found: "The walls are covered with stelae, you walk on statuettes of all colours, on vases, on fragments of wooden sarcophagi. All this is in dreadful disorder, ... I came upon ... such a disorder that at first sight I dispaired of ever recognizing anything."
[N.Reeves, `Ancient Egypt', p. 40ff; David Rohl, `Pharaohs and Kings', p. 52]
Names provided by Marriet
Legend:
IT=Isolated Tombs from Amenhotep III to Ramses II;
LVR=Lesser Vault Ramesside section;
LVT=Lesser Vault TIP section;
GVS=Greater Vault Dynasty XXVI./Saitic;
GVP=Great Vault Ptolemaic section;
 Yr = Year of burial
A Apis I. IT Amenophis III Year ? Mariette's attribution Year 30, 3rd month of summer, day 21 of the `Lord of the two Lands' Usermaatre-Setepenre', Lord of Diadems, Ramesses, may he be granted life like Re. It happened that the majesty of the Apis departed to heaven, to rest in the embalming house under [the charge of] Anubis who is in the place of embalming, that he might mummify his body. The children of Horus raise him up while the lector-priest recites glorifications'.
B Apis II. Rhathosis Mariette's attribution; [Josephus, `Against Apion', Bk. I, Sec. 15]
C Apis III. Looks like `Amentananth'? Mariette's attribution
D Apis IV. Horus Mariette's attribution
"né l'an, 16, le 7 de Paophi, de Nechao: intronisé l'an 1, le 9 d'Epiphi, de Psammétichus II: mort l'an 12, le 12 de Pharmouthi, d'Ouaphres: enseveli l'an 12, le 21 Payni: âgé de 17 ans, 6 mois et 5 jours." [J.W. Bosanquet, `Chronological Remarks on the History of Esther and Ahasuerus' in TSBA, Vol. V, 1877, p. 225-(251)-292]
E Apis V. Horus Mariette's attribution
"né l'an 5, le 7 de Thoth, d'Amasis: intronisé l'an 5, le 18 Payni: mort l'an 23, le 6 de Phamenoth: enseveli l'an 23, le 21 de Pachons: âgé de 18 ans, 6 mois." [Ibid.]
F Apis VI. Siti IV (Seti?) Mariette's attribution
G Apis VII. LVR Ramses II

Also found in an Apis burial was a blue faience cup said to have been placed by Paser. The text calls for scribes to perform proper functions for the vizier Paser. Two amuletic carnelian beads from Paser were also found in the Serapeum. The inscription reads "the Osiris, overseer of the city [Thebes] and vizier.". A kneeling sandstone statue of Paser, Viceroy of Kush, was found by Belzoni in the Abu Simbel temple. The inscription reads, "residing in Piramesse". A shabti figure of Paser gives his full titulary as vizier. [Louvre; See T.G.H. James, Ramses II, p. 261]

Yr 30 Stela 5 2 Apis after Year 30?
In this burial reports indicate that the coffins were intact with shabtis, canopic jars and amulets. An alabaster canopic jar made for an Apis burial in the Year 16 or 30 of Ramses II reads: `A monument made by the sem-priest and king's son Khaemweset.' "It also yielded an inlaid gold pectoral [010] of Ramses II and six Apis-headed shabti-figures." [Reeves, `AE the Great Discoveries', p. 44]
H Apis VIII. Ramses II Yr ? Mariette's attribution
I Apis IX. Ramses II Yr ? Mariette's attribution "From among the debries of this burial which had been contained within 3 rectangular coffins and covered by an anthropoid lid with gilded face (like that of `Khaemweset'), he retrieved a number of funerary items.
1. 15 bull headed ushabtis
2. 10 items of gold jewelry (some dedicated to Khaemweset)
3. a range of hard stone amulets." [Reeves, Ibid., p. 43]
J Apis X. Ramses II Yr 55? Mariette's attribution - Chamber K? graffito
K Apis XI. Ramses II Yr ?? Mariette's attribution
? ??. Khaemwese Yr ?? book
?? Apis ? Ramses Siptah Yr ? inscribed jar
? ?? Ramses III Yr ? Mariette's attribution
L Apis XII. Ramses IV Mariette's attribution
? ?? Ramses VI Yr ? inscribed jar
M1 Apis XVII. Ramses IX Mariette's attribution
? same as M1?? Ramses IX Yr ? inscribed jar
M2 Apis XVIII. Ramses XI
Ramses XI 		Mariette's attribution
? same as M2?? Ramses XI Yr ? Mariette's attribution
? same as M2?? Ramses XI Yr ? Mariette's attribution
N1 Apis XXI. Ramses XII Mariette's attribution
N2 Apis XXII. Ramses XII Mariette's attribution
N Apis XXIII. Ramses XII Mariette's attribution
O Apis XXIV. unreadable ruler's name Mariette's attribution
O Apis XV. unreadable ruler's name Mariette's attribution
O Apis XXVI. unreadable ruler's name Mariette's attribution
? ??. Takelot I Yr ? inscribed block - Stela 19
? ??. Osorken II
Osorken II 		Yr 23 Stela 18
P Apis XXIX. Sheshonk III
Shoshenk III 		Yr 28 Stela 21 The stela was donated by the Great Chief (wer ma) of Ma (Mau - the shortened form of Meshwesh), Pediese, son of the Great Chief of Ma, Takelot, son of the HPM, Prince and Chief Noble of His Majesty (iry-pat wer tepy en-hemef), Shoshenk, son of King Osorken-meryamun.
The death of the Apis Bull occurred in Year 28 of King Usermaare-setepenamun Shoshenk-meryamun Si-Bast.
(The installation (induction) and age at death of the Apis bull not given.) [Op. cit., p. 57]
P Apis XXX. Pimay (Pami) Year 2 Stela 22 This stela was donated by the Controller of Crafts (wer kherep hemut), Setem-priest in the Estate of Ptah (setem em-per Ptah (Serapeum)), Great Chief of the Meshwesh (wer aa en-na-Meshwesh), Pediese, son of (same titles), Takelot.
This Apis was installed in Year 28 of King Usermaatre-setepenre Sheshonk-meryamun, following the death of his predecessor (Stela 21).
The Apis died in Year 2 of King Usermaatre-setepenamun Pimay at an age of 26 years.
Q Apis XXXI. Sheshonk IV Sheshonk IV Yr ? Mariette's attribution
Q Apis XXXII. Sheshonk IV Yr ? Mariette's attribution
R Apis XXXIII. Sheshonk IV Yr ? Mariette's attribution
? ??. Sheshonk V Yr 11 Stela 27
? ??. Sheshonk V Yr 37 Stela 31 Known as the `Pasenhor Stela', it was discovered by Mariette at the north end of the Vaults on February 26, 1852. The Apis to which it is dedicated died in the 37th years of King Shoshenk V (730 BC?). [Louvre Museum]
S1 Apis XXXIV. Bocchoris Yr ? Mariette's attribution Bekenranef/Bocchoris, son of Tefnakhte, has only left a few Serapeum Stelae and a wall inscription, which record the burial of an Apis bull in his 6th year. It was interred in the same chamber as the one which died in the 37th year of Sheshonk IV. Conventionally he is dated to ca. 718 BC. [Breasted, `Records', Vol. IV, Sec. 884.]
S2 Apis XXXV. unreadable Yr ? Mariette's attribution
? ? Sheshonk V Yr 11 Stela 27
? ?? Sheshonk V Sheshonk V. Yr 37 Corner of the donation stela o Year 37 of Sheshonk V. found by Mohammed Aly
Corner of the Year 37 Stela showing the nomen of Sheshonk V, the sign of Ra and a scarab beetle. 		The `Pasenhor Stela' also refers to this same Year 37 of Sheshonk V. From the image it appears that the of the name of Sheshonk V as rendered in textbooks is on the stela of variant (snake?) design unless the `club' design is used horizontally and the mirror image parallel line is lost.
Could one construe out of this that some other name than Sheshonk is spelled here? We are not sure! 		Three potentates use the `Ra' and `scarab beetle' sign:
1. Piankhi (Piyi); 2. the Theban High Priest `Menkheperre Hemnetjertepyen amun'; 3. Peinuzem I (Pinedjem I);
In all 3 of these the 3rd glyph in the name ring is someting else than a snake(?). It is either a in two cases or a in one case, which doesn't seem to match the original. But why have a donation stela on a minor prince/king and not on more influential kings?
? ?? Bakenranef Yr 6 Stela 91
? ??. Taharka? Yr 4 Stela 129 For the attribution of the Year 4 stela to Tarhaka see Vercoutter, 1960, pp. 67-71.
? ??. Taharka Yr 14 Newly discovered Stela Personal communication to D. Rohl from the Serapeum excavator, Mohamed Ibrahim Aly, September 1991.
? ??. Taharka Yr 24 Stela 125
? ??. LV(?) Psamtek I Yr 21 Stela 192
T1 Apis XXXVI. unreadable ruler's name Yr ? Mariette's attribution
T2 Apis XXXVII. unreadable ruler's name Yr ? Mariette's attribution
U Apis XXXVIII. Psammetichus Yr ? Mariette's attribution
V Apis XXXIX. Necho? Yr ? Mariette's attribution
X Apis XL. unreadable ruler's name Yr ? Mariette's attribution
Y Apis XLI. Amasis [020]
Khnemibre - Supervisor of works in the entire land, has many rock inscriptions at Wady Hammamat ranging from the last year of Amasis to the 30th of Darius I, [521-485]. Darius I Darius I
Darius I ............... Ahmose II/Amasis
It appears that he named himself after king Ahmose II/Amasis (569-525 BC) of the 26th Dynasty under whom he was born. 		Yr 23 Apis Amasis Stele
Amasis Stele 		The cartouche in this Apis stela matches that of Amasis Khnemibre, royal architect, found at Wadi Hamamat.
Here again, we have a case were a non-royal personality dedicates an Apis stela in regnal year 23, for a king, during whose reign he was born. We don't know if Year 23 refers to Pharaoh Amasis, or the 23rd year of Darius I, King of Persia.
Z Apis XLII. Cambyses Yr 6 Psammetichus II/Seti II and his family suffered atrocities of Cambyses who desecrated and burned the embalmed body of Pharaoh Amasis (Dyn.19), ripped from his tomb at Sais, and stabbed the Apis bull to death buried in Cambyses 6th year, 523 BC. [Herodotus] At times information about this Seti II may be confused with Sethos of the three brothers.
Seti (II) the GreatSeti II, reigned for ca. 6 months
A' Apis XLIII. Darius I (521-485 BC) Hieroglyphic name of Darius I Yr ? Mariette's attribution
B' Apis XLIV. Darius II (424-404 BC) Yr ? Mariette's attribution
C' Apis XLV. Darius II (424-404 BC) Yr ? Mariette's attribution
D' Apis XLVI. Khibash? Yr ? Mariette's attribution


Notes and References

[010] Drawings of two pectorals from the pillared hall, 4th corridor, in the tomb of Merneptah may be seen in F. Abitz's, `König und Gott', in Ägyptologische Abhandlungen, Band 40 1984, p. 9.
[020] For more on Amasis see Adel Farid, `Re-used blocks of a Temple of Amasis at Philae - The Final Results' in Mitteilungen des DAI, 1980, p. 81-103.
Crawl out of this tomb Submenu