Serapeum
Saqqara, Egypt
2024
Background
A short walking distance from the Djoser's Step Pyramid is a subterranean complex of megalithic stone containers known as the Serapeum. Excavated by Auguste Mariette in the 19th century, the site has fascinated researchers and visitors ever since. Early explorers desecrated several of the giant boxes while attempting to access whatever may have been inside. Most were found sealed and empty and despite the historical narrative that these containers served as sarcophagi for the legendary Apis Bull, no bull carcasses were found in any of these mysterious containers.
Today, 24 surviving megalithic stone containers weighing between 60-100 tons each still rest within the rock cut side chambers. The boxes are rectangular in shape with flat lids. The precision of the surfaces and corners has attracted attention from both archaeologists and engineers since their rediscovery in the 1850s.
The site is believed to have been accessed for thousands of years before Mariette, including by New Kingdom Egyptians and those from the Ptolemaic period. Prior cultures left stelae which recorded offerings and dedications. And in at least one instance, the mummified carcass of an Apis bull was discovered in a wooden container.
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Crude graffiti from New Kingdom and later visitors can be found on at least 4 megalithic boxes, and has been dated to around 1244 BC. One pharaoh in particular, Khaemwaset, the son of Rameses II, was referenced in an inscription. This is notable as Khaemwaset is believed to have ordered and supervised restoration work on many Egyptian sites deemed to be sacred.
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There are several collapsed sections and corridors that appear unfinished, leading some researchers to conclude that the site was left unfinished by whomever was responsible for its original construction.
An unfinished box sits abandoned in one corridor. It's geometry and positioning may hint at the original construction process, but pose additional questions... How was this moved through such a narrow passageway? Why would such an object, apparently nearly finished, be abandoned by its creators?
