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| Keywords: Egyptian - Pendant with Image of Sarapis - Walters 571524 - Left.jpg The god Sarapis emerged in Egypt at the beginning of the Hellenistic era when the country was occupied by Alexander the Great 332 BC and a dynasty of Macedonian kings the Ptolemies ruled Egypt It was Ptolemy I 305/304-282 BC who gave the order to develop a new religious cult for his dynasty and the Egyptian state and he dedicated the first temple to Sarapis at Alexandria for this purpose For the Greeks the creation of a new god was something extraordinary but for the Egyptians the modification of religious concepts to fit new needs was a long-standing tradition The priests chose the Egyptian god Osiris-Apis named later also Osorapis who was a protective deity a god of oracles and lord of time and eternity They modified his name to Sarapis and gave his visual representation a Hellenistic form appropriating the shoulder-length hair and full beard of the Greek supreme deity Zeus; the kalathos --a woven grain basket--with which Sarapis is often crowned symbolizes fertility The participation of Egypt's Greek population in rituals for Sarapis and the Hellenized Isis was an expression of their loyalty to the dynasty native Egyptians clung to their traditional gods but the worship of Sarapis did not end with the extinction of the Ptolemies To the contrary the god became a universal deity in Roman times venerated throughout the Mediterranean century 2 1 BC Greco-Roman repoussé gold H 1 7/16 x Diam 1 3/16 x D 1/16 in 3 68 x 3 04 x 0 21 cm accession number 57 1524 25933 Henry Walters Baltimore date and mode of acquisition unknown Walters Art Museum Henry Walters Acquired by Henry Walters Jewelry - Ancient to Modern The Walters Art Gallery Baltimore 1979-1980 From Alexander to Cleopatra Greek Art of the Hellenistic Age The Walters Art Gallery Baltimore 1988-1989 Serapis The Creation of a God The Walters Art Museum Baltimore 2002 place of origin Egypt Walters Art Museum license Ancient Egyptian jewellery in the Walters Art Museum Ancient Greek art in the Walters Art Museum Pendants of ancient Egypt Serapis | ||||
