ABSTRACT
The cult of Sarapis offers a unique insight into Ptolemaic royal patronage of two parallel sanctuaries: the established Egyptian temple of Osiris at Memphis, later identified as the Sarapieion, and the newly founded sanctuary of Sarapis in Alexandria. The Ptah temple complex would have dominated the area of Memphis so it is not surprising that Petrie found the granite architrave from a gateway of Ptolemy IV which was associated with the site. There is some confusion even during the Ptolemaic period concerning the relationship between Isis and Hathor as perceived by both Greeks and Egyptians. In Egypt the god was closely associated with the royal house, particularly at Alexandria, a relationship which gradually weakened as his cult spread outside the domains of Ptolemaic control. Sarapis in the Roman period enjoyed a wider audience as illustrated by the many representations found outside Egypt. Dionysos was the equivalent of Osiris for the Greeks, who thus recognised chthonic aspects of the god's cult.
