Statue of a bull

Some Egyptian cities venerated specific bulls as sacred animals. In Memphis, the Apis bull was venerated as early as 3000 BC. Each city had only one sacred bull. When this animal died, a suitable bull calf immediately had to be designated as its successor. The creature’s death also ushered in an official period of mourning. The mummification and funeral of a sacred bull did not differ greatly from that of a human being.