IVᵉ siècle av. J.-C. – IVᵉ siècle
Alexandria and Ptolemaic Egypt
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The cult of Sarapis was an officially promoted religious cult in Ptolemaic Alexandria, apparently rooted in the Egyptian Osiris-Apis tradition and reshaped in Greek form. Ptolemy I established it with Manetho’s cooperation, associating the god with Asklepios and retaining some Egyptian rituals. It was intended, possibly, to bridge Greek and Egyptian communities but became chiefly popular among Greeks in Egypt.
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Sarapis originated, apparently, in the tradition of Osiris-Apis, understood as the spirit of the deceased Apis bulls of Memphis. The cult had already attracted some Greeks living in Egypt before the Ptolemies, but its institutional position changed when Ptolemy I gave it official support at Alexandria.
With the cooperation of Manetho, Ptolemy I established an official Sarapis cult in the Ptolemaic capital. The god was represented as a bearded man in the usual Greek manner and was commonly identified with Asklepios, the Greek god of healing. Egyptian elements nevertheless survived within the cult, including the sacrifice of geese.
The cult may have been conceived as a bridge between the kingdom’s Greek and Egyptian subjects by offering a shared religious loyalty. Its social reach remained limited, however. Sarapis became popular mainly among Greeks, particularly those living in Alexandria, rather than among the mass of the Egyptian population.
IVᵉ siècle av. J.-C. – IVᵉ siècle
Alexandria and Ptolemaic Egypt
Traduction non disponible · Original (anglais) · français indisponible
The cult of Sarapis was an officially promoted religious cult in Ptolemaic Alexandria, apparently rooted in the Egyptian Osiris-Apis tradition and reshaped in Greek form. Ptolemy I established it with Manetho’s cooperation, associating the god with Asklepios and retaining some Egyptian rituals. It was intended, possibly, to bridge Greek and Egyptian communities but became chiefly popular among Greeks in Egypt.
Poursuivre l’exploration
Le récit
Sarapis originated, apparently, in the tradition of Osiris-Apis, understood as the spirit of the deceased Apis bulls of Memphis. The cult had already attracted some Greeks living in Egypt before the Ptolemies, but its institutional position changed when Ptolemy I gave it official support at Alexandria.
With the cooperation of Manetho, Ptolemy I established an official Sarapis cult in the Ptolemaic capital. The god was represented as a bearded man in the usual Greek manner and was commonly identified with Asklepios, the Greek god of healing. Egyptian elements nevertheless survived within the cult, including the sacrifice of geese.
The cult may have been conceived as a bridge between the kingdom’s Greek and Egyptian subjects by offering a shared religious loyalty. Its social reach remained limited, however. Sarapis became popular mainly among Greeks, particularly those living in Alexandria, rather than among the mass of the Egyptian population.