THE SERAPEUM

DURING THE PTOLEMIES

 THE SERAPEUM
THE TEMPLE OF SERAPIS AND ISIS

3.
4.

2. 7.
5.

1.

6.

10. 8.

9.

1. THE TEMPLE OF SERAPIS AND ISIS

Alexander built the first temple of Isis and Osiris/Serapis. As for Serapis, he was already being worshipped in his original Osiris form by the Egyptians living in the fishing village Rhakotis before Alexandria was even built.
It was 27.5 metres long x 24.6 metres wide, the foundations 4.4 metres thick suggesting it was a peristyle building, and the top of a Corinthian capital found here. Inside stood the huge statue of Serapis himself and one of Isis,
both facing east to the temple entrance.

2 . S TA I R C A S E B U I L D I N G
A secret tunnel entered via a staircase building, slopes upwards to reach a secret space in the floor of the Serapis and Isis temple, maybe allowing clergy to ‘speak’ for the god as an oracle.

3. THE SHRINE OF ISIS

In around 243 BC the new royal couple Ptolemy III & Berenike II, build a great wall around the site, and also commissioned the architect Parmenion to build a brand new Serapis & Isis temple complex beside the existing
Serapeum of Alexander (to its north-west). The Isis shrine had four rooms along its west side and a continuous base (stylobate) supporting a row of columns.

4. THE SHRINE OF SERAPIS

Built by Ptolemy III & Berenike II. It had 4 columns across the front in red granite with Corinthian capitals and a Doric frieze. The cella had a window on each side of the doorway and a large window above it.
Inside the sanctuary a monumental statue of Serapis made of ivory and gold.

5. THE TEMENOS OF THE SERAPEUM

A colonnaded court with columns in red granite and Corinthian capitals formed a temenos with the temple placed parallel to it. There were rooms along the western and south side of the court. They housed shrines to the traditional goods,
royal audience chamber, dining halls and also a second public library on the lower level. Two entrances on the eastern long side from street R8 which ran beside the temenos. The northen entrance was also approached by a staircase
leading up to the eastern slope of the hill.

6. THE SERAPEUM TEMPLE LIBRARY

To the south-east end of the complex sunk down about 4.5 metres deep were multiple subterranean rooms including the Serapeum temple library (known as the ‘Daughter Library’) containing copies of the originals housed in the Great Library,
some works in this Daughter Library likely from the Pergamum Library which Antony gave to Kleopatra. Although the original Serapeum temple seems to have had a library created by Ptolemy II, the main Serapeum library/Daughter Library is
credited to Ptolemy III, excavated in the 1940s when it was shown that “at the southern end of the site are 2 long corridors, opening into small rooms, and in particular a row of 19 uniform rooms, each about three by four metres. The excavations
plausibly suggested that these rooms were used to shelve the thousands of scrolls of the Serapeum library, and that the rolls were consulted in the corridors.

7. T H E S H R I N E O F H A R P O K R A T E S
Ptolemy IV & Arsinoe III built an additional smaller temple of Horus (‘Harpokrates’ meaning Horus the child) to celebrate the birth of their son Ptolemy V, the first Ptolemy born to a full brother-sister union
and so equated to the son of Isis and Osiris-Serapis. This Serapeum Harpokrates temple/shrine was 9m long x 5m wide

8. NILOMETER
The Ptolemaic Nilometer, for measuring the height of the annual Nile flood waters, was located at the base of the hill beside the staircase.

9. CITY WALL

10. THE LAGEION

The racecourse built by Ptolemy I Soter.
 THE SERAPEUM
THE TEMPLE OF SERAPIS AND ISIS

THE TEMPLE OF SERAPIS AND ISIS

S TA I R C A S E
We can suggest this first Serapis temple was predominantly Greek in appearance, likely a pebble- mosaic floor, but with strong Egyptian origins – exactly like
the cult statue of Serapis housed within it. And since we also know the temple fittings and equipment were dedicated by Ptolemy I to ‘Isis and Serapis’ this first
S E C R E T U N D E R G R O U N D PA S S AG E temple must also have housed an Isis statue if Ptolemy I was already at that time making dedications to both gods.

It was 27.5 metres long x 24.6 metres wide, the foundations 4.4 metres thick suggesting it was a peristyle building, and the top of a Corinthian capital found
here. The innermost chamber whose walls were sheathed in gold overlaid with silver then bronze, typically ancient Egyptian.

The Serapis statue virtually filled this inner chamber space, as it was said that the “statue of Serapis was so large that its right hand touched one wall and its left
the other” - this would also fit with traditional chambers in the innermost part of ancient Egyptian temples which are usually quite compact.

A secret passage runs into the temple from the T-shaped building which was probably more of an extension to the original temple. The tunnel entered via the
T-shaped building slopes upwards to reach a secret space in the floor of the temple maybe
allowing clergy to ‘speak’ for the god as an oracle. This is typical for Greek temples like the Apollo temple at Delphi which has a long secret passage for the
oracle leading up from some distance outside to the floor of the adyton, so too the temple at Corinth; and of course Egyptian temples which also had ‘speaking
statues’ operated by priests concealed in secret spaces to ‘speak’ on behalf of the god, something we known many of the Ptolemies continued with.

TEMPLE
THE SERAPEUM
T H E C U LT S T A T U E S

T H E C U LT S T A T U E S

The cult statue of Serapis had the same anthropomorphic features as bearded Zeus with 5
ringlets over the forehead and his long curly hair surrounded by a plaited band which once
held 7 bronze rays that associated Serapis with the Sun god Helios (Egyptian Ra).
On the god’s head was a corn measure (kalathos). He held a sceptre in his raised left hand,
wore draped robes and sat on a throne, beside which stood Cerberus, 3-headed dog of the
Greek Underworld.

We also know from a later description that the sculptor Bryaxis had made the Serapis statue
in Sinope in around 350 BC from “a mixture of various materials. For he had filings of gold,
and silver, and lead, and in addition, tin; and of Egyptian stones not one was wanting, and
there were fragments of sapphire, and hematite, and emerald, and topaz. Having ground
down and mixed together all these ingredients, he gave to the composition a blue colour,
whence the darkish hue of the image”.

So clearly it was made of multiple substances, various exotic woods and precious metals.
The ‘darkish hue’ of these crushed gems were for the clothing of both Serapis and Isis in
this oldest temple. The end result was so lifelike the statue was described as ‘achiropoietos’,
‘not made with human hands’. Its appearance is also likely to have included the use of
realistic eyes the Egyptians had perfected over 2000 years earlier.

The placement of the statue was also enhanced with a clever use of directed sunlight,
a description as late as AD 402 by Rufinus referring to “a tiny window so orientated toward
the direction of sunrise that on the day appointed for the statue of the sun to be carried in to
greet Serapis, careful observation of the seasons had ensured that as the statue was entering,
a ray of sunlight coming through this window would light up the mouth and lips of Serapis,
so that to the people looking on it would seem as though the sun was greeting Serapis with
a kiss”.

This would mean the statue of Serapis would be recharged with divine solar energy,
building on ancient Egyptian idea of bringing gods out from their dark sanctuaries and into
the sunlight as at Dendera temple built by Auletes and Kleopatra – this is also why the
Serapeum and Serapis’ cult statue was oriented facing east in order for the first dawn sun
rays hit the lips of the cult statue.
 THE SERAPEUM
THE TEMPLE LIBRARY

NICHES

19 UNIFORM
ROOMS

THE SERAPEUM TEMPLE LIBRARY

To the south-east end of the complex sunk down about 4.5 metres deep were multiple subterranean rooms including the Serapeum temple library (known as the ‘Daughter Library’) containing copies
of the originals housed in the Great Library, some works in this Daughter Library likely from the Pergamum Library which Antony gave to Kleopatra. Although the original Serapeum temple seems to have had
a library created by Ptolemy II, the main Serapeum library/Daughter Library is credited to Ptolemy III, excavated in the 1940s when it was shown that “at the southern end of the site are 2 long corridors, opening
into small rooms, and in particular a row of 19 uniform rooms, each about three by four metres. The excavations plausibly suggested that these rooms were used to shelve the thousands of scrolls of the
Serapeum library, and that the rolls were consulted in the corridors. At this same south-east end were also 3 niches leading out of this lower level, presumably for statues of the divine triad Serapis,
Isis & Horus/Harpocrates.

TEMPLE

NICHES
 THE SERAPEUM
S H R I N E S O F I S I S , S E R A P I S A N D H A R P O K R AT E S

S H R I N E S O F I S I S , S E R A P I S A N D H A R P O K R AT E S

In around 243 BC the new royal couple Ptolemy III & Berenike II, commissioned the
architect Parmenion to build a brand new Serapis & Isis temple complex beside the existing
Serapeum of Alexander (to its north-west).The Isis shrine had four rooms along its west side
and a continuous base (stylobate) supporting a row of columns.

The Serapis shrine had 4 columns across the front in red granite with Corinthian capitals
and a Doric frieze. The cella had a window on each side of the doorway and a large window
above it. Inside the sanctuary a monumental statue of Serapis made of ivory and gold.

ISIS SHRINE Ptolemy IV & Arsinoe III built an additional smaller temple of Horus (‘Harpokrates’
meaning Horus the child) to celebrate the birth of their son Ptolemy V,
SERAPIS H A R P O K R AT E S the first Ptolemy born to a full brother-sister union and so equated to the son
SHRINE SHRINE of Isis and Osiris-Serapis. This Serapeum Harpokrates temple/shrine was
9m long x 5m wide

ISIS SERAPIS H A R P O K R AT E S
My name is Michael Bengtsson, a Swedish Creative Director sharing my
time between New York City and Fort Lauderdale in Florida.
Since my childhood I’ve been interested in history, especially the Hellenistic
and Roman era, combined with a deep interest in ancient architecture.

This reconstruction of the Serapeum wouldn’t be possible without the

following scholars and publications:
Joanne Fletcher, visiting professor in the Department of Archaeology at the
University of York and consultant Egyptologist for Harrogate Museums and Arts.
Judith Sheila McKenzie: The Architecture of Alexandria and Egypt
c.300 BC to AD 700

Contact: swecreator@outlook.com