We are looking at Serapis. Could you tell us more about this statue?
You may have read this on the label, but Serapis was a composite god created early in the Ptolemaic (Greek) rule of Egypt to unite Greeks and Egyptians. The deity combined aspects of Egyptian gods (especially Osiris, the ruler of the Underworld) with Greek deities (particularly Zeus, the king of the gods). Worship of Serapis continued in the Roman period and eventually spread to Europe.
This particular Serapis is interesting because it's two heads seem to suggest a male/female duality: The horns point to Zeus/Amun (an Egyptian creator or sun deity on one side), And Hera on the other.
What do you need to do to preserve this?
Marble, because it is so durable, is mostly just cleaned periodically if at all exposed to the elements. Otherwise it conserves very well.
Who is Serapis?
He is a composite version of Zeus, and an Egyptian god, Amun (which is why he has ram's horns). It is actually a rare sculpture in that it depicts two faces - generally this is not the case. It is made at a time where there are a number of confluences of cultures happening.
What is Serapis?
Serapis was a combination of Egyptian and Greek deities. This work was made at a time of Greek rule in Egypt, and it combined aspects of Egyptian gods with Greek gods in order to unify the local Greeks and Egyptians.
This particular Serapis is interesting because its two heads seem to suggest a male/female duality. The horns point to Zeus/Amun (an Egyptian creator or sun deity on one side), and Hera (a Greek queen of the gods) on the other.
Can you tell me something about the significance of the curved horns on this head of Serapis?
The horns come from the Egyptian god, Amun who is associated with rams and is often shown as a human with a ram's head. Serapis was a combination of Egyptian and Greek deities - the associations with Amun were added for good measure. Amun was a creator god and known as “the king of the gods” just as Zeus was thought of in ancient Greece.
Would you say this style of art greatly influenced Egyptian art from then on? It looks like some statues, though clearly Egyptian are more...Classical?
It was definitely a melding of cultures and art and iconographic styles. Egyptian aesthetics were retained in most cases but there was a whole new source of artistic traditions and techniques flooding in. Its fun to compare and contrast how Egyptian art changed through time. You can traces the evolution from the Old Kingdom through the Middle and New Kingdom and then the Roman period!
Okay. Thank you very much!
The description for this head says it's Serapis, but with the horns it looks much more like Zeus Ammon.
Good eye! Serapis was invented by Ptolemy I to help unify the Egyptian people with their new Greek rulers.
He was Greek in appearance but was given Egyptian imagery; the horns are a reference to Amun.
I’m wondering about the origins of the image Serapis and the relevance of what appear to be horns.
Serapis is one of those deities that arose due to the close relationship between Egypt and Greece, especially during the Ptolemaic period in ancient Egypt when Greek kings ruled. It combines various characteristics
of both greek and Egyptian deities.
The horns are actually a reference to the god Amun, who was the king of gods (much like his Greek counterpart Zeus) and was associated with the ram. Hence, the horns.
Thanks so much. What a delightful service!
Who is Serapis?
Serapis is a composite god who was worshipped during the Roman period in Egypt, when Egyptian, greek, and Roman cultures all blended in Egypt.
Serapis was a combination of the greek god Zeus, the Egyptian gods Amun and Osiris, and the sacred Egyptian Apis bull.
We very much appreciate your timely and accurate information on this subject. This experience has really enhanced our trip to the museum!
Who is Serapis and why does he have horns?
Serapis was deity that combined traits of a few different Egyptian and Greek gods. The ram's horns, in particular are a reference to the Egyptian god Amun.
Amun was the king of the gods in the later periods of ancient Egypt and he was most often associated with the ram.
