The Serapeum of Saqqara: Bulls, Boxes and an Enduring Mystery

The Serapeum of Saqqara is a complex of underground galleries where the sacred Apis bulls of Memphis were buried. Its largest galleries contain about two dozen enormous granite and basalt boxes, each weighing tens of tonnes. The mainstream view is that they are sarcophagi for the bulls, made in the Late Period; how they were made and moved so precisely, and why they were found empty, keep the site at the centre of debate.

By Jossef Salman · Last reviewed October 2026

How to read this page

Established: observed, measured, excavated or written in a source from the time. The only things we present as fact.
Mainstream theory: what most specialists currently conclude. Reported accurately, not endorsed.
Alternative theory: proposals outside or at the edge of mainstream scholarship. Contested, reported so you can see the debate.
The book’s view: the argument of Echoes of History, always labelled as the author’s own.

The Serapeum at a glance

Question	Answer
Location	Saqqara necropolis, west of ancient Memphis, near Cairo
Purpose (mainstream)	Burial place of the Apis bulls, living manifestations of the god Ptah
Discovered	1850–51 by the French archaeologist Auguste Mariette
Main parts	The “Lesser Vaults” (New Kingdom, expanded under Ramesses II) and the “Greater Vaults” (begun in the 26th Dynasty, c. 7th century BCE)
The boxes	About 24 large boxes of granite and basalt in the Greater Vaults; estimates of their weight run from about 60 to over 70 tonnes for box and lid
Inscribed boxes	A few carry inscriptions naming Late Period kings, such as Amasis II

The Apis bull

At Memphis a single bull, chosen for special markings, was kept and worshipped as the living image of Ptah. When it died it was mummified and buried with great ceremony, and the priests searched for its successor. After death the Apis was identified with Osiris, as Osiris-Apis, the origin of the Ptolemaic god Serapis, from whom the site takes its Greek name.

Discovery

Mariette followed a buried avenue of sphinxes at Saqqara, mentioned by the Greek geographer Strabo, and in 1850–51 broke into the galleries. He recorded thousands of stelae left by visitors and officials, many dated by reign and the age of the bull, which became an important source for Egyptian chronology. In the Lesser Vaults he found an intact burial from the reign of Ramesses II, with jewellery bearing the name of Prince Khaemwaset, Ramesses’ son and high priest of Ptah. In the Greater Vaults, he reported, the great boxes had been opened and emptied in antiquity.

The mystery of the boxes

The Greater Vaults are where the debate lies. The boxes are carved from single blocks of hard stone, set in side chambers along a long gallery, with lids that are themselves massive. Questions that are asked:

Precision: some researchers report that the inner surfaces are flat and square to a very high degree; mainstream scholars note that such measurements have not been published to scientific standards.
Moving them: how blocks of this size were brought into narrow underground galleries and set in place.
Emptiness: why no bull burials were found in the boxes.
Dating: whether all the boxes belong to the Late Period, or whether some are older.

The explanations

Explanation	Main claim	Status
Late Period bull sarcophagi	Made for Apis burials from the 26th Dynasty onward; emptied by robbers; inscriptions confirm the period	MAINSTREAM THEORY
Older boxes reused	Some boxes may be older than the inscriptions, which may have been added later	MINORITY / ALTERNATIVE VIEW
Lost technology	The precision implies machining beyond Late Period tools	ALTERNATIVE THEORY – contested
The boxes were never for bulls	The large boxes had another purpose	THE BOOK’S VIEW (author’s conclusion)

What is fact and what is theory

Claim	Status	Basis
The Serapeum contains galleries of Apis burials	ESTABLISHED	Excavated; stelae and burials recorded
The Greater Vaults contain about 24 large granite and basalt boxes	ESTABLISHED	Visible on site
Some boxes carry inscriptions of Late Period kings	ESTABLISHED	Inscriptions recorded
All the large boxes were made as Late Period Apis sarcophagi	MAINSTREAM THEORY	Supported by context and inscriptions; not directly dated
The boxes required lost advanced technology	ALTERNATIVE THEORY	Not supported by published measurements
The large boxes were not made for bull burials	THE BOOK’S VIEW	The author’s conclusion, labelled as such

What the book argues · the author’s view

In the chapter “The Mysterious Serapeum of Egypt”, Echoes of History describes the boxes, their precision and their placement, and contrasts the smaller and larger galleries. It concludes, as the author’s own view, that the large boxes were not made as bull sarcophagi.

Cover of Echoes of History by Jossef Salman

From the author of this guide

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The Serapeum has its own chapter in Echoes of History.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the Serapeum of Saqqara?

An underground burial complex for the sacred Apis bulls of Memphis, used from the New Kingdom to the Ptolemaic period and rediscovered by Auguste Mariette in 1850–51.

How heavy are the Serapeum boxes?

Estimates vary; box and lid together are commonly said to weigh about 60 to 70 tonnes or more.

Who made the Serapeum boxes?

The mainstream view is that they were made for Apis burials from the 26th Dynasty onward. Some researchers argue that some are older or had another purpose.

Were bulls found in the boxes?

Mariette reported the large boxes as opened and emptied in antiquity. Intact Apis burials were found elsewhere in the complex.

Can you visit the Serapeum?

Yes. It reopened to visitors in 2017 after restoration and is part of the Saqqara archaeological site.