Lot 106 A ROMAN CARNELIAN INTAGLIO WITH A BUST OF SERAPIS, 1ST-2ND CENTURY AD

A Roman intaglio showing a bust of Serapis Pantheos to the left. He is shown radiate in this guise which show him with the attribute of Sol.
8.5 by 6 mm.

CATALOGUE NOTE
Serapis was a syncretic god, combining Hellenistic Greek and Egyptian religious beliefs. His name is of Egyptian origin and derives from a synthesis of Ausar (Greek, Osiris), the Egyptian god of the Underworld, and Hapi (Greek, Apis), a manifestation of the god Ptah. Under the Ptolemies, Serapis became the chief tutelary god and the subject of a royally-sponsored cult, whose emphasis on an afterlife made the worship of Serapis one of the more popular mystery cults. His immense popularity soon extended his creation as Serapis-Pantheos, a hybrid deity incorporating other divine elements. In Alexandria, a large temple complex, called the Serapeum was constructed and remained highly patronized well into the fourth century AD. Shortly after the imperial decree of AD 391, officially declaring pagan temples closed, the Serapeum was besieged, plundered, and destroyed.

PROVENANCE
From a European collection formed in the 1980's.