The Serapeum was dedicated to the cult of the Apis bull, where a bull was chosen on grounds of its special pattern and coloring. It was honored until it died of natural causes. Then it was taken care of, mummified and buried in the undergound galleries in a sphinx poition with its sleg tucked under. From the 26th ynasty, great granite sarcophagi were used. A new bull was carefully chosen by the priesthood and enjoyed the same honors, being treated like royalty its whole lifetime which was ca 20-25 years. The worship of the bull goes back all the way to the 1st Dynasty, and it is thught that it was connected with fertility and the sun-cult. Later, it became a manifestaion of the god Ptah who was the main deity at MenNefer (Gr: Memphis) and its mother was worshipped as a manifestation of Isis, according to Herodotus.

The first buiral of an Apis bull seems to have been in the 16th Dynasty, under Amenhotep III. But the earliest, decorated and undisturbed tomb was from the time of Horemheb. Sofar, he burials were made in separated tombs and were only later incorporated in the galleries, wchich were begun under the reign of Ramesses II. Two sons of his;Khaemwaset and Merenptah, are seen from reliefs, officiationg at burials of the Apis bull. Both were in their own time high priests of Ptah at MenNefer. Khaemwaset further donated jewellery and shabtis inscribed with his name to the tombs.

In the 26th Dynasty they were extended at a right angle, a new series of galleries which were used all the way into Greco-roman times. Sometimes during the 30th Dynasty, a long Avenue of Sphinxes had been built across the desert, along with several temples and resthouses. The galleries continued to be used until they were banned and closed by Emperor Honorius in AD 398.

It was Auguste Mariette who first found a half sanded over sphinx and started to excavate, This was back in 1851 and he suspected this was where the processional route mentioned by the greek Strabo might be located. Before he reached the galleries, which were accessed by a deep staircase, he uncovered over a hundred sphinxes.

One massive sarcophagus, weighing beteen 60 and 80 tonnes. Note the palace facade decoration.
photo: egyptarchive.co.uk

When he came to the first gallery, he found niches with stelae and then large side-rooms with 24 sarcophagi made of whole granite pieces, each weighing between 60 - 80 tonnes. The burials here stretched from the 26th Dynasty and onto the Ptolemaic period. They had all been robbed in antiquity but yielded much information about the chronology of the rulers in the Third Intermediate.

There was also found smaller galleries with burials from the time of Ramesses II and into the 22nd Dynasty. In yet another row of rooms, the earliest yet found burials were discovered, from the time of Amenhotep III and into the 19th Dynasty. One room contained an undisturbed burial from the time of Horemheb and in another room, two very big gold covered coffins were dated to year 16 and 30 of the reign of Ramesses II. Artefacts were also found; shabits, canopic jars and statues. The canopic jars held the viscera of the bulls.