Apis
In ancient Egyptian religion, Apis was a sacred bull revered primarily at Memphis as the earthly manifestation or ba (soul manifestation) of the creator god Ptah, selected from black bulls bearing distinctive white markings on the forehead, back, and tail.[1][2] The cult, one of the oldest documented in Egypt dating to the First Dynasty around 3100 BCE, emphasized the bull's role as a symbol of fertility, strength, and divine kingship, with only one Apis recognized at a time amid elaborate rituals of care by priests.[3] Upon its death, typically after 15–25 years, the Apis was mummified over 70 days and interred in vast underground galleries at the Serapeum of Saqqara, where it transformed into Osiris-Apis, linking the living bull to the god of the underworld and foreshadowing the Greco-Roman syncretic deity Serapis.[2] Notable aspects include oracular prophecies attributed to the bull's movements, which influenced pharaonic decisions, and historical incidents such as Persian king Cambyses II's reported slaying of an Apis in 525 BCE, interpreted by Egyptian sources as sacrilege provoking divine retribution.[4] The cult's prominence persisted through the Ptolemaic period, underscoring its enduring cultural and religious significance despite shifts in imperial rule.[3]Etymology and Terminology
Origins of the Name
The name Apis represents the Greek transliteration of the ancient Egyptian term ḥpj (vocalized as Hapi, Hap, or Hep), applied to the sacred bull deity of the Memphis cult.[5][6] This indigenous designation, attested from at least the Old Kingdom (c. 2686–2181 BCE), distinguished the bull from other bovine deities and was not directly linked to the Nile inundation god Hapi (ḥꜥpj), despite superficial phonetic similarities in later Coptic forms like hape or hapi.[7] The term ḥpj likely derived from Egyptian vocabulary denoting bull-like strength or a vital essence, reflecting the animal's symbolic role as a manifestation of divine power, though exact semantic evolution is inferred from hieroglyphic inscriptions rather than explicit glosses.[7] Greek adoption of Apis occurred during the Late Period (c. 664–332 BCE) and Ptolemaic era, standardizing the name in Hellenistic accounts while preserving the core Egyptian referent.[5]Associated Epithets
The Apis bull, revered in ancient Egyptian religion as a sacred manifestation of divine power, bore several epithets that underscored its vitality, oracular role, and connection to the god Ptah. The most fundamental title was Hapi-ankh (ḥꜥpj-ꜥnḫ), translating to "Apis is living" or "the living Apis," which highlighted the bull's status as a dynamic, earthly embodiment of the deity during its lifetime, distinct from its posthumous identification with Osiris.[8][9] This epithet appears in temple inscriptions and ritual texts from the Old Kingdom onward, emphasizing the bull's perceived life force and periodic renewal through the selection of a successor.[10] Another prominent epithet was "herald of Ptah" (wḥꜥ n Pth), portraying Apis as the prophetic intermediary or messenger of Ptah, the Memphis creator god, capable of conveying divine truths or oracles to priests and rulers.[11][9] This title, attested in Late Period stelae and Greco-Roman accounts drawing from Egyptian sources, linked Apis to Ptah's authority, with the bull's movements or behaviors interpreted as signs from the god.[12] In some contexts, it extended to descriptions like "the one who carries the truth upwards to him [Ptah]," reinforcing the bull's role in upward communication between the earthly and divine realms.[9] Additional epithets, such as "the living image of Ptah" or "the soul of Ptah," further syncretized Apis with Ptah's essence, portraying the bull as a visible, animated extension of the god's creative and regenerative powers.[13] These titles appear in Memphite cult inscriptions and theophoric personal names from the New Kingdom through the Ptolemaic era, where Apis was invoked as a symbol of fertility, strength, and divine favor. The use of such epithets varied by period and context, but consistently affirmed Apis's intermediary status without implying independent deityhood apart from Ptah.Physical Description and Selection
Identifying Marks of the Apis Bull
The Apis bull was selected from among young black bulls in the Memphis region based on distinctive physical markings regarded as signs of its divinity as an incarnation of Ptah. The Greek historian Herodotus (c. 484–425 BCE), drawing from Egyptian priests' accounts in his Histories (Book 2.38), described the ideal specimen as entirely black except for a white triangular blaze on the forehead—resembling a flame or vulture's wing—an effigy of an eagle emblazoned on its back, a double curl or twist of hair at the tail's end, and a knotty protuberance beneath the tongue akin to a scarab beetle.[14][15] These traits were meticulously verified by priests upon the death of the incumbent Apis, prompting a search across the Nile Delta for a matching calf, typically aged under three years.[16] Archaeological examinations of mummified Apis bulls from the Serapeum of Saqqara corroborate Herodotus' observations, with preserved remains exhibiting the black coat, forehead triangle, and tail anomaly, though soft tissue details like the tongue feature are harder to confirm due to embalming processes.[17] Stelae inscriptions recording individual Apis lifetimes, such as those from the Late Period (c. 664–332 BCE), reference these marks as confirmatory omens, including solar or lunar portents at birth alongside the physical signs.[18] Later Greco-Roman and Egyptological sources occasionally vary in emphasis, substituting or adding a white crescent moon-shaped mark on the right flank or chest—symbolizing lunar associations with Osiris—potentially as interpretive embellishments or observations of natural variations in cattle breeds.[19][8] Such discrepancies highlight reliance on eyewitness priestly testimony over uniform breeding standards, yet the core criteria ensured rarity, with successions documented at intervals averaging 15–25 years across dynasties.[20] The bull's mother, often a specific cow breed, received secondary veneration but lacked equivalent markings.[3]Process of Selection and Replacement
The selection of a new Apis bull was triggered by the death of the previous incumbent, prompting priests of the Memphis temple to conduct a systematic search across Egypt, often focusing on the Nile Delta, for a young black bull calf bearing the required markings such as a white triangular blaze on the forehead and eagle-like patches on the flanks.[21] This quest, which could span months or even years due to the infrequency of qualifying candidates, relied on reports from local herders and ritual verification by temple officials to authenticate the bull's divine attributes.[22] Archaeological evidence from Serapeum stelae corroborates these successions, recording instances like the transition following the death of Apis bulls during the Late Period, where new selections restored cult continuity.[23] Upon identification, the calf—typically aged two to four years—was subjected to further examinations, including inspection of secondary traits like a scarab-shaped mark under the tongue and doubled tail hairs, to confirm its suitability as Ptah's ba (manifestation).[22] Oracular consultations or divine signs, as noted in priestly records, finalized the approval, after which the bull was escorted in procession to Memphis for enthronement in the Apis pavilion, marking its replacement and the resumption of daily oracular and fertility rites.[3] The mother cow of the selected Apis held auxiliary sacred status and was often ritually dispatched, with her remains interred separately in the Sacred Animal Necropolis at Saqqara to preserve ritual purity.[24] Historical disruptions, such as during the Persian conquest under Cambyses II around 525 BCE, illustrate the process's resilience; despite reported sacrilege, stelae document the prompt identification and installation of successor bulls like Apis XLIII under Darius I by 519 BCE, underscoring the cult's institutional priority on rapid replacement to avert perceived cosmic imbalance.[25] Variability in interregnum lengths, evidenced by gaps of up to four years in Serapeum burials from the 18th to 30th Dynasties, highlights the empirical challenges in sourcing exact phenotypic matches amid Egypt's cattle populations.[23]Mythological and Theological Role
Manifestation of Ptah
In ancient Egyptian theology, the Apis bull served as the earthly manifestation of Ptah, the creator god and patron deity of Memphis, embodying his ba (soul or power) in living form. This identification positioned the Apis as a bridge between the divine and material realms, allowing Ptah—conceptualized as a god of craftsmanship, architecture, and generative force—to exert influence through the bull's vitality, strength, and fertility symbolism. The cult's texts and inscriptions from Memphis temples describe the Apis explicitly as Ptah's herald or incarnation, with the bull's selection based on distinctive physical marks interpreted as divine indicators of this indwelling essence.[26][27][28] The relationship underscored Memphis's theological centrality, where Ptah's abstract creative role—often depicted as self-generated through thought and word—found concrete expression in the Apis's ritual life. Housed in the Hwt-ꜣpys (Manor of Apis) within Ptah's temple complex, the bull received daily offerings mirroring those to Ptah, including incense, milk, and grains, reinforcing its status as the god's active presence. Priestly records from the Late Period, such as stelae detailing Apis inaugurations, affirm this unity, portraying the bull's health and longevity as reflections of Ptah's favor toward Egypt's stability and prosperity.[29][20] This manifestation evolved from early dynastic practices, with evidence of bull veneration linked to Ptah dating to the First Dynasty (c. 3100–2900 BCE), though the explicit incarnation doctrine solidified by the Old Kingdom (c. 2686–2181 BCE). Archaeological finds, including votive statues and reliefs from Saqqara and Memphis, depict the Apis with Ptah's attributes, such as a sun disk or menat necklace, symbolizing their fused identity and the bull's role in mediating cosmic order (ma'at). The concept persisted into the Ptolemaic era, influencing Greco-Egyptian syncretisms, but remained rooted in Memphite orthodoxy emphasizing Ptah's primacy over other deities.[16]Syncretism with Osiris and Formation of Serapis
In ancient Egyptian religion, the Apis bull, revered as a living manifestation of the creator god Ptah, underwent a theological transformation upon its death, becoming syncretized with Osiris, the god of the underworld and resurrection. This fusion resulted in the composite deity Osiris-Apis (Egyptian wsr-ḥp, often rendered as Userhap), embodying the ba (soul or power) of Osiris incarnate in the bull's mummified form. The syncretism emphasized themes of death, renewal, and eternal kingship, with the deceased Apis serving as an intermediary for oracular responses and fertility rites in the afterlife. Evidence for this association appears in New Kingdom texts and practices (c. 1550–1069 BCE), where burial rituals incorporated Osirian iconography, such as green skin and atef-crown elements on Apis stelae.[20] Underground galleries in the Serapeum at Saqqara, initiated under Amenhotep III (r. c. 1390–1352 BCE) and expanded by Ramesses II (r. 1279–1213 BCE), housed these mummified bulls in sarcophagi mimicking Osiris's resurrection, with rituals including 70-day embalming paralleling human pharaonic rites.[20] Over 7,000 stelae from the site, dating from the Late Period (c. 664–332 BCE), document this linkage through hieroglyphic and demotic inscriptions detailing the bull's deification and union with Osiris.[20] The cult of Osiris-Apis persisted into the Ptolemaic era, where it provided the foundation for further Hellenistic syncretism under Ptolemy I Soter (r. 305–282 BCE). To consolidate rule over a diverse Greco-Egyptian populace, Ptolemy engineered the deity Serapis (Σέραπις), a Hellenized adaptation of Osiris-Apis that amalgamated Egyptian chthonic and regenerative attributes with Greek aspects of Zeus (as sovereign) and Hades or Pluto (as underworld lord). This deliberate fusion, possibly advised by Egyptian priests like Manetho and Greek syncretists such as Timotheus of Eleusis, aimed at religious unification rather than pure invention, building on pre-existing Memphite worship.[30] The earliest textual reference to Serapis occurs in the works of the playwright Menander (d. 291 BCE), predating widespread Ptolemaic promotion.[30] Ptolemy supported the cult through endowments, including a 50-talent donation recorded by Diodorus Siculus (1.84.8) for an Osiris-Apis burial, and the establishment of the grand Serapeum in Alexandria (c. 300–280 BCE), featuring colossal statues and an altar dated to 279–271 BCE via inscriptions.[30] Archaeological remains, such as a statue reportedly transported from Sinope, underscore the state's role in propagating Serapis as a supra-national deity, though its core Egyptian roots in Osiris-Apis remained evident in ongoing Memphite burials until c. 30 BCE.[30][20]Debated Oracular Functions
The oracular functions attributed to the living Apis bull primarily involved interpreting its physical movements or choices as divine responses to yes-or-no questions posed by priests, rulers, or select elites. Classical authors such as Strabo described the bull housed in a specialized stall at Memphis, where its behaviors—such as nodding or selecting between options—were observed during consultations, a practice said to occur in the Ptolemaic period.[20] Egyptian temple inscriptions from the Greco-Roman era provide limited corroboration, recording instances where the Apis bull "predicted" outcomes, as in Kalabsha where an inscription notes "sr.f n.f" ("he predicts to him") in reference to Emperor Augustus's query.[31] Similarly, a consultation by Emperor Claudius at Esna is documented in temple texts, suggesting the bull's selection between two food-offering doors signified affirmation or negation.[31] These functions parallel oracular practices in other Egyptian bull cults, such as the Buchis bull associated with Montu, which was explicitly credited with prophecy and healing, but evidence for Apis remains sparser and more localized to Memphis.[20] While Greek and Latin writers like Diodorus Siculus alluded to sacred bulls delivering signs through motion, indigenous Egyptian sources prior to the Late Period (c. 664–332 BCE) lack prominent references to Apis in this role, focusing instead on its manifestation of Ptah and fertility symbolism.[20] This temporal gap raises questions about the oracle's origins, with some attributing it to Hellenistic innovations blending Egyptian traditions with Greek processional oracles, potentially exaggerating the bull's responsiveness for dramatic effect.[32] Scholars debate the authenticity and scope of these oracular claims, as direct archaeological or textual proof from pharaonic Egypt is absent, relying heavily on potentially biased Greco-Roman accounts that may project foreign interpretive frameworks onto restricted priestly rituals.[32] Proponents argue for an organic evolution, citing the bull's ba (soul-manifestation) status as enabling prophetic communication akin to other deities like Amun, but critics view it as a misconception amplified by syncretism with Serapis, where post-mortem dream oracles overshadowed any living-animal precedents.[20] The exclusivity of access—limited to priests and rulers—further complicates verification, as no public records of fulfilled predictions survive, contrasting with more documented oracles from Thebes or Siwa.[20] Ultimately, while attested in late sources, the Apis oracle's prevalence and reliability remain contested, reflecting broader interpretive challenges in Egyptian religious practices.Cult Practices and Worship
Maintenance and Daily Veneration
The sacred Apis bull resided in a specialized stall known as pA ihj within the Place of Apis, located in the temple enclosure of Ptah at Memphis, featuring east and west doors for ceremonial access during installation and removal of successive bulls.[33] Priests of the Ptah temple, rotating in monthly shifts, oversaw its maintenance, including daily release from the stall to allow exercise and movement, as described by the 1st-century BCE geographer Strabo.[20] This routine care ensured the bull's physical well-being, treating it as the earthly herald of Ptah, though specific details on feeding—likely involving grains, milk, and select fodder consistent with elite animal husbandry—remain sparsely documented in surviving texts.[20] Daily veneration centered on priestly rituals restricted to the temple's inner sanctum, where wab-priests performed purifications, libations, and invocations to honor the bull's divine status, inaccessible to commoners who risked ritual impurity upon close approach.[33][20] Elites and authorized priests could seek oracular responses by observing the bull's movements or behaviors during these sessions, interpreting them as prophetic signs linked to Ptah's will. Public participation was limited to designated viewings through a grilled window in the open Pavilion of Appearances, an colonnaded courtyard adjacent to the stall, allowing distant adoration without direct contact on select days.[33] Women supplemented these formal rites with informal fertility practices, such as exposing themselves before the bull to invoke its generative powers, reflecting broader popular devotion to its role in renewal and abundance.[20]Festivals and Public Rituals
The living Apis bull was periodically led in public processions through the streets of Memphis during designated festivals and feast days, adorned with jewelry and regalia symbolizing its divine status as an embodiment of Ptah. These rituals enabled large crowds of devotees to venerate the bull directly, offering prayers, sacrifices, and petitions for oracles interpreted from its movements or behaviors, thereby facilitating public interaction with the sacred animal beyond the confines of its temple enclosure.[34][21] A prominent public ritual occurred upon the manifestation and identification of a new Apis bull, triggering multi-day celebrations characterized by elaborate processions from the discovery site—typically in the Nile Delta region—to the temple in Memphis. Participants, including priests and commoners, carried tree branches and engaged in widespread rejoicing with music, dances, and animal sacrifices, lasting approximately seven days and emphasizing themes of renewal and divine favor.[35] This festival, documented in classical accounts such as Herodotus' Histories (circa 440 BCE), highlighted the bull's role in fertility and regeneration ceremonies, though such events were irregular, tied to the bull's lifespan of about 15–25 years. In Memphis, the Apis also "officiated" at broader civic-religious festivals linked to Ptah's cult, where its presence reinforced pharaonic and cosmic order through symbolic acts of strength and virility, though primary Egyptian textual evidence for exact timings remains limited, relying partly on Greco-Roman observers whose reports may reflect interpretive lenses rather than unaltered native practices.[36][34]Economic and Priestly Aspects
The Apis cult was administered by the high priests of Ptah in Memphis, who held hereditary positions and oversaw the selection, veneration, and burial of the sacred bull, interpreting its behaviors as oracles to guide decisions on state matters.[20] These priests conducted rituals including the bull's coronation ceremony during full moons and mourning practices upon its death, such as communal fasting and lamentations, with roles distributed among family lineages to share associated privileges like income from offerings.[20] Lower-ranking personnel, including caretakers, embalmers, and scribes, supported daily maintenance and funerary preparations, forming a structured hierarchy tied to the broader Ptah temple administration.[37] Economically, the cult demanded substantial resources for the bull's upkeep in temple enclosures, lavish feeding, and post-mortem mummification, which spanned 70 days and utilized natron, linen, and cedar oil, often funded by royal grants, state subsidies, and tax-exempt temple lands producing self-sufficient yields.[20][37] Pharaohs like Psamtek I and Ptolemaic rulers invested in infrastructure such as Serapeum sarcophagi and vaults, while the employment of at least 50 personnel per major cult site at Saqqara sustained local labor markets.[20][37] Festivals and pilgrimages drew crowds to Memphis, boosting trade in goods, lodging, and transport, with visitor accounts like those of Strabo highlighting the cult's role in regional prosperity analogous to other animal cults that attracted thousands annually.[20][37] Votive offerings and pilgrimage-related activities further enriched temple coffers, integrating the cult into Egypt's agrarian and ritual economy from the Old Kingdom onward.[37]Death, Mummification, and Burial
Funerary Rites
The death of the Apis bull prompted a period of profound mourning across Egypt, as the animal was revered as the living incarnation of Ptah, and its passing signified a disruption in divine favor until a successor was identified.[34] Priests conducted initial purification rites immediately upon death, treating the event with the solemnity reserved for pharaonic funerals, including announcements to the populace and cessation of certain public activities.[2] The core of the funerary rites centered on mummification, a ritualized process documented in the Apis Papyrus (P. Vindob. 3873), a hieratic-demotic text from the second century BCE preserved in Vienna, which outlines procedures tailored to the bull's sacred status.[38] This embalming extended over 70 days, mirroring the standard human mummification timeline but with bovine-specific adaptations, such as incision for organ removal without full evisceration as in human cases, followed by treatment with natron salts, resins, and oils to preserve the body.[39] The first 36 days featured eight sequential ceremonies focused on washing, anointing, and wrapping phases, culminating in a ninth rite by day 70 that glorified the deceased bull through incantations invoking its divine essence.[40] The mummy was bathed in the sacred Pool of Khonsu early in the process, symbolizing rebirth, and wrapped in fine linen bandages adorned with amulets and inscriptions affirming its eternal life as Osiris-Apis.[39] Priestly embalmers, operating from specialized workshops near Memphis, performed these acts under strict ritual protocols to ensure the bull's ka (life force) transitioned to the afterlife, with tools including knives for incisions and probes for organ handling, as inferred from analogous human practices and textual hints.[41] On the final two days, elaborate processions transported the prepared mummy, accompanied by chants, offerings of incense and food, and the "Opening of the Mouth" ceremony—adapted from royal rites—to restore sensory faculties for the hereafter.[2] These processions, lasting up to a full day, involved high priests, musicians, and mourners, emphasizing the bull's role in cosmic renewal and linking its fate to the pharaoh's legitimacy.[42] Evidence from Late Period stelae and papyri confirms variations in rite intensity across dynasties, with Ptolemaic-era texts showing Hellenistic influences like extended glorification hymns, yet core elements remained consistent from the New Kingdom onward.[42] The rites underscored causal beliefs in ritual efficacy for divine continuity, privileging empirical preservation techniques over symbolic gestures alone.[39]The Serapeum at Saqqara
The Serapeum at Saqqara, situated in the ancient Memphite necropolis approximately 20 kilometers south of modern Cairo, functioned as the principal underground burial complex for the mummified Apis bulls revered in the cult of Ptah. Constructed progressively over centuries in the limestone bedrock, it accommodated the interment of these sacred animals following elaborate funerary rituals, reflecting their divine status as earthly embodiments of the god. The site's development began in the New Kingdom and continued into the Ptolemaic era, with galleries expanded to house increasingly monumental sarcophagi as the cult's practices evolved.[43][44] French archaeologist Auguste Mariette uncovered the Serapeum in 1851 during excavations near a sphinx avenue, initially guided by scattered artifacts and inscriptions hinting at Apis burials; he employed workers and gunpowder to breach collapsed entrances, revealing the vast subterranean network. His findings included numerous stelae detailing the bulls' lifespans, death dates, and embalming processes, which established a precise chronology for the cult spanning roughly 1,400 years. Mariette's work identified three burial series: the Greater Vaults with 24 massive granite sarcophagi (some exceeding 70 tons and up to 4 meters in height) primarily for Late Period bulls; the Lesser Vaults for intermediate-era interments; and smaller, earlier chambers yielding intact mummies like those designated Apis VII and IX.[45][46][47] The earliest confirmed Apis burial dates to the reign of Amenhotep III (circa 1390–1352 BC) in the 18th Dynasty, marked by a stele noting the bull's death after 26 years; subsequent interments occurred irregularly, with peaks in the Late Period under pharaohs like Nectanebo I (360–343 BC), who commissioned many of the grand sarcophagi. At least 64 bulls were attested through inscriptions, though not all niches were filled—several sarcophagi remained empty or contained fragmented remains, possibly due to looting or ritual reuse. The layout features a main corridor over 150 meters long, branching into side loculi lined with offering tables and ex-voto statues of devotees, underscoring the site's role in perpetual veneration of the deified Osiris-Apis.[44][43][47] Archaeological evidence from the Serapeum, including canopic jars, amulets, and cedarwood coffins within sarcophagi, confirms standardized mummification akin to royal human rites, with viscera removed and bodies wrapped in linen. Post-Mariette studies have debated the engineering feats, such as transporting monolithic lids via ramps or levers, but the site's intact stelae provide irrefutable data on bull tenures averaging 15–20 years, aligning with selective breeding for black-coated, unmarked specimens bearing solar disk markings. This necropolis thus offers critical empirical insight into the Apis cult's continuity, economic investment (evidenced by imported granite from Aswan), and theological shift toward bull immortality, without reliance on later Greco-Roman interpretations.[45][46]Specific Burials and Chronology
The burials of Apis bulls in the Serapeum of Saqqara commenced during the late Eighteenth Dynasty, with the earliest documented interment occurring under Amenhotep III around 1365 BCE in the regnal year 23, establishing the site as the primary necropolis for these sacred animals thereafter.[24] Subsequent burials continued sporadically through the Nineteenth and Twentieth Dynasties, though archaeological evidence indicates interruptions, such as during the Amarna Period under Akhenaten, where no Apis interments have been identified, potentially reflecting theological shifts away from traditional Memphite cults.[20] Intensive burial activity resumed in the Late Period (Twenty-fifth to Thirtieth Dynasties), with larger granite sarcophagi appearing from the Twenty-sixth Dynasty onward, and persisted into the Ptolemaic era until approximately 30 BCE, encompassing over 60 known vaults spanning roughly 1,400 years.[48] Notable early burials include those in separate rock-cut tombs (Vaults A–I) dating to the late Eighteenth Dynasty, such as Vault B and C assigned to Apis bulls from the reigns of Amenhotep III and possibly early Akhenaten, containing mummified remains and canopic jars.[49] A significant Late Period example is the Apis interred in 524 BCE during the reign of Cambyses II, evidenced by a stela recording the bull's death and embalming, contradicting Herodotus' narrative of deliberate slaying and highlighting potential Persian respect for Egyptian rites despite conquest.[50] In the Ptolemaic Period, detailed stelae document specific bulls, such as one born to Ta-ury who acceded circa 300 BCE and died in 299 BCE under Ptolemy I, and another, son of Wadjet-iiti, who lived 20 years before burial in February 280 BCE under Ptolemy II.[51]| Apis Bull | Accession/Death Dates (BCE) | Associated Ruler | Key Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Son of Ta-ury | ~300 / 299 | Ptolemy I | Louvre IM 39 stela; early Ptolemaic continuity of cult.[51] |
| Son of Wadjet-iiti | ~300 / Feb 280 (age 20) | Ptolemy II | Louvre IM 4177; records lifespan and burial rites.[51] |
| Son of Ta-Ranni | ~252 | Ptolemy II | Louvre Berlin ÄM 2131; reflects ongoing veneration.[51] |
| Son of Kerka | ~97 / ~86 | Ptolemy IX/X | Louvre IM 3324; notes tomb construction details.[51] |