Herodotus states that the day after Cambysess bloody battle, he awoke to discover the Egyptians in Memphis celebrating. But according to Herodotus, this religious belief was desecrated in 525 BC by Persian King Cambyses when he overtook the holy city of Memphis. Since the Apis was so sacred, it stands to reason that its mother (referred to as the 'Isis cow') was revered as well.The birth of an Apis calf was a time for celebration among ancient Egyptians, since this meant that a living god had been born into their midst. The new Apis was transported to Memphis on a boat with a specially built golden cabin.An Apis calf could be identified by certain distinct markings: the black calf had a white diamond on its forehead, an image of an eagle on its back, double the number of hairs on its tail, and a scarab mark under its tongue. At any rate, only one bull was considered to be the sacred Apis at a time a replacement could be sought upon the death of the bull. Plutarch wrote that the 'Apis was a fair and beautiful image of the soul of Osiris'. Later the Apis became widely known as the incarnation of Osiris, god of embalming and cemeteries, when Ptah himself took on funerary characteristics and became associated with Osiris. The Apis bull was originally considered to be the incarnation of the god Ptah, the creator of the universe and master of destiny, but this was a lesser-known association. A familiar image, such as that of an animal, gave people a more concrete concept of the powers of that specific deity, which is why one deity could be represented by several different images. In any case, it is believed that deities needed to be given a recognizable form so that the divine force would not seem so abstract to the masses. Although there is no clear-cut reason for the deification of animals, it has been surmised that some animals may have achieved their godly status because they helped humans, whereas the more dangerous and feared animals, such as jackals, may have been worshipped as a way to appease them. Animal statuettes as well as amulets and slate palettes shaped like animals have been found in the graves of many ancient Egyptians. In some villages animals wrapped with linen and matting, such as cows, dogs, and sheep, were buried right along with humans.
Communities worshipped their own deities, many of which were represented in animal form. Divine Cults of the Sacred Bulls by Anita StratosThe deification of animals in ancient Egypt existed even before the countrys unification around 3100 BC.
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