Ivory Head of Serapis

Egypt, 2nd-4th century A.D.
H. 8.9 cm (3 1/2 ")
Burton Y. Berry Collection, 76.34.55

The god Serapis was a Ptolemaic invention. On his Egyptian side, Serapis associated with Isis in his capacity as Osiris, and the latter's incarnation on earth as the sacred bull Apis; and on his Greek side, he associated with Zeus, Hades, and Asclepius.Thus, Serapis had roots in both cultures, but he had a Greek look from the start: the first cult image in the Serapeum at Alexandria represented him as a colossal seated sculpture in the likeness of a bearded Greek god. In Roman times, Serapis served as a symbol for emperors whose promise of political rebirth for the empire lay in bringing the Eastern and Western worlds together.