The Majesty of Apis has gone to heaven: Burial of the sacred Apis bull within the landscape of Memphis during the Late Period (664-332 BCE)
Abstract
The elaborate burial ceremonies for the Apis bull lasted for 70 days and culminated in a long funerary procession from the temple of Ptah in central Memphis to the Saqqara necropolis. The lowering of the lid of the massive sarcophagus brought the ritual to an end and the underground galleries of the Serapeum remained sealed until preparation of the burial chamber for the next bull began.
The bull's body was carefully embalmed within the precinct of Apis for 68 days by a group of priests, following the specific rules written down in a manual (the first column is on P. Zagreb 597-2; the rest is on P.
Wien KHM ÄS 3873; the end is not preserved). Surviving evidence indicates that carefully-defined rules were specified under the Twenty-sixth Dynasty (664-526 BCE).
The last two days were apparently intended for at least three funerary processions around Memphis, from the temple of Ptah to the south-western lake, then back to the precinct of Apis and finally from there to the Serapeum. This article aims to shed new light on several topographical points found in the manual and located within the Memphite sacred landscape.