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[[File: Apis_Bull.jpg|300px|thumbnail|left|Statue of the Apis Bull]]
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Most people are aware of the ancient Egyptian practice of mummification. The practice has inspired wonder and awe among people from all over the world in the millennia since pharaonic culture ceased to exist. Although there has yet to be a “mummy handbook” discovered that relates the precise details of the art, modern archaeology, art history, and the writings of the fifth century BC Greek historian, Herodotus, have allowed modern scholars the ability to reasonably determine how the ancient Egyptians mummified their dead. Despite having uncovered many of the mysteries of <i>human</i> mummification, modern scholars are still learning a lot about the art of <i>animal</i> mummification. Most people may not know that the ancient Egyptians mummified certain species of animals, some of which included the following: bovines, birds, cats, dogs, and even crocodiles. An investigation of animal worship and mummification in ancient Egypt reveals that it did not happen overnight and did not necessarily develop alongside human mummification, but was the end result of a long process whereby non-royal Egyptians began taking a more active role in their long-enduring country’s religion.
The worship of the Apis Bull followed the priestly pattern discussed above – there was only one Apis Bull alive at a time. Herodotus and the first century BC Greek historian/geographer, Strabo, both were fortunate enough to observe the bull first hand when they traveled throughout Egypt. After an Apis Bull died, it was mummified in the same manner as a human and then placed in its subterranean resting place in the Serapeum. The priests would then travel throughout the country to find its replacement, which had to have very specific markings. Herodotus wrote:
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“The Apis-calf has distinctive marks: it is black, with a white diamond on its forehead, the image of an eagle on its back, the hairs on its tail double, and a scarab under its tongue.” <ref> Herodotus. <i> The Histories.</i> Translated by Aubrey de Sélincourt. (London: Penguin Books, 2003), Book II, 29</ref>
Theologically speaking, the Egyptians believed that the Apis was the living incarnation of Osiris, as Strabo noted, “Apis, who is the same as Osiris.” <ref> Strabo. <i> Geography.</i> Translated by Horace Leonard Jones. (Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 2001), Book XVII.1, 31</ref> It is believed that Apis was associated with Osiris because both were associated with potency and strength and since Osiris was one of most important and popular gods, the Apis Bull also became extremely popular. <ref> Otto, Eberhard. <i> Beiträge zur Geschichte des Stierkulte in Ägypten.</i> (Hildesheim: Georg Olms Verlagsbuchhandlung, 1964), p. 57</ref> As the popularity of the Apis Bull increased during the Late Period, so too did involvement in its cult. One of the most telling aspects of the bull’s popularity are the over 1,000 votive stelae discovered by modern archaeologists in the subterranean chambers of the Serapeum. A votive stela is simply a small stone slab inscribed with the name of the dedicator and usually a short statement, similar to a prayer. What is most interesting about the votive stelae cache is that a wide stratum of ancient Egyptian society was represented: from the embalmers and other priests to peasants. <ref> Sadek, p. 271</ref>
===The Animal Necropolises at Saqqara===
The ancient Egyptian art of mummification is of one that culture’s most defining attributes in the modern world. The ancient Egyptians preserved the bodies of their kings, queens, and anyone else who could afford the process, through mummification, but they also mummified the animals they believed were divine in the latter centuries of their history. Animal mummification can be linked directly to the evolution that took place in ancient Egyptian religion whereby the majority of the population began to take a more active role in worship. Once more and more Egyptians became involved in the animal cults, then more and more animal mummies were donated by followers to the Saqqara animal necropolises. The animal cults and animal mummification continued to play a major role in Egypt until Christianity became the dominant religion.
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