On January 24, AD 126, Emperor Hadrian celebrated his 50th birthday. This event was marked by the dedication of a small temple to the god Serapis (Serapeum) in the forecourt of the Luxor Temple (Roman Thebes) in Egypt. Modest in scale, the temple, discovered during excavations conducted by Egyptian archaeologist Zakaria Ghoneim in 1950-51, features a Greek inscription referencing Gaius Julius Antoninus, ex-decurion and neokoros (temple attendant) of Serapis, who restored the temple, consecrated its statues, and re-dedicated it to Hadrian and Zeus Helios the Great Serapis on the 29th day of the month of Tybi (January 24) in the 10th year of his reign.
The small temple stands within the courtyard built by Nectanebo I, directly in front of the monumental first pylon of Ramses II. Constructed primarily of mud brick, it occupies the northwest corner of a space that once contained several Roman-period monuments. While most of these structures have disappeared, the modest Serapeum has survived. This structure features a rectangular podium measuring 12 meters by 8 meters, and a cella with a raised platform for statues and a basin for ritual purification.
The temple was built using simple materials, including both baked and unbaked bricks, while grès was used for the door and some columns. The walls were covered with stucco that mimicked marble, and the columns blended Greco-Roman and Egyptian architectural styles.
The Serapeum housed statues of Isis, Osiris-Canope, Apis, and Serapis. The most prominent surviving statue is a monumental representation of Isis, crafted from white-yellowish limestone. The statue depicts the goddess standing gracefully, adorned in a long plaited tunic, a fringed mantle tied at the chest, and a cloth draped over her left shoulder and hips. She originally held a cornucopia on her left arm, symbolising fertility and prosperity, and stood on a banquette at the back of the sanctuary, in the axis of the main door.
Other surviving artefacts include a decorated Osiris-Canope vase, two statues of the sacred bull Apis (one in limestone and the other in granite), and a fragment of a statue likely representing Sarapis, found near a niche in the southern wall of the cella. Additionally, a fragment of another statue of Isis was discovered within the temple. These statues reflect the syncretic nature of the cult, blending Egyptian and Greco-Roman religious traditions.
The Greek inscription on the lintel of the temple’s main door highlights Gaius Julius Antoninus’s dedication and his funding of the temple’s reconstruction at his own expense (SEG 31:1548). It states that the temple was dedicated to Zeus Helios Great Serapis, a powerful syncretic deity combining elements of Zeus, Helios, and Serapis. This reflects a theological convergence aimed at uniting Egyptian, Greek, and Roman religious traditions. The inscription also references Hadrian, marking the tenth year of his reign and the emperor’s birthday (dies natalis).
© The Trustees of the British Museum
During the reign of Hadrian, Zeus Helios Great Serapis gained significant popularity. The emperor actively promoted the cult of Serapis as part of his cultural policy, which sought to integrate Egyptian religious practices into the Roman imperial framework. The rising popularity of Zeus Helios Great Serapis during this time is evidenced by numerous dedications, inscriptions, and coins featuring the deity (see here). Several scholars have interpreted this trend as a reflection of Hadrian’s fascination with Egypt, or at least his appreciation for Egyptian sacra.
The inscription also includes the name of the Egyptian prefect at the time, Titus Flavius Titianus. However, his name later faced a damnatio memoriae (erasure of memory) due to deliberate defacement. Despite this damage, scholars have identified his name through careful examination of the surviving letters.
ὑπὲρ Αὐτοκράτορος Καίσαρος Τραιανοῦ Ἁδριανοῦ Σεβαστοῦ
καὶ τοῦ παντὸς οἴκου αὐτοῦ, Διὶ Ἡλίῳ μεγάλῳ Σαράπιδι, Γαῖος Ἰούλιος Ἀντωνεῖνος̣,
τῶν ἀπολελυμένων δεκαδάρχων, ἐκ τοῦ ἰδίου ἀνοικοδομήσας τὸ ἱερόν, τὸ ζῴδιον
ἀνέθηκεν εὐχῆς καὶ εὐσεβείας χάριν ἐπὶ 〚Τ̣[ίτου] Φ̣[λαούιου Τιτιανοῦ]〛 ἐπάρχου Αἰγύπτου·
ὁ αὐτὸς δὲ καὶ νεοκόρος αὐτοῦ τοῦ μεγάλου Σαράπιδος καὶ τ̣ὰ̣ κατ̣ά̣λοιπα ζῴδια ἀνέθηκε
(ἔτους) ιʹ Αὐτοκράτορος Καίσαρος Τραιανοῦ Ἁ̣δριανοῦ Σεβαστοῦ, Τῦβι κθʹ.
“For the Emperor Caesar Trajan Hadrian Augustus and all his household, Gaius Julius Antoninus of the body of ex-decurions, had the temple to Zeus Helios the great Sarapis rebuilt at his own expense and consecrated the statue (of the god) on account of a vow and his piety, under Titus Flavius Titianus, prefect of Egypt; the same dedicant was also a neokoros of the great Serapis himself and consecrated all the rest of the statues. In the tenth year of the reign of Emperor Caesar Trajan Hadrian Augustus, on the 29th day of the month of Tybi.”
Author: Chabe01
Titus Flavius Titianus served as Praefectus Aegypti for an unusually long time in the middle of Hadrian’s reign. The earliest attestation of him in office is his inscription on the Memnon Colossus (IColosse 24), dated to 20 March, AD 126 (10th year of Hadrian); the latest (P. Berol 11664) is from 1 April, AD 133 (17th year of Hadrian). Despite his extended service, his name is notably absent from non-Egyptian historical and literary records. The reasons for Titus Flavius Titianus’s damnatio memoriae remain unknown, but it is speculated that it may have resulted from actions that displeased Hadrian during his governorship.
T(itus) Fl(avius) Titianus
praef(ectus) Aeg(ypti)
audit
Memnon
XII K(alendas) April(es)
Vero III et Ambibulo co(n)s(ulibus)
hora (prima).
Titus Flavius Titianus prefect of Egypt heard
Memnon
on the thirteenth day before the Kalends of April in the third year of the consulship of Verus and Ambibulus, at the first hour.
