After the officers of Memphis were put to death, Cambyses summoned the Egyptian priests to appear before him. He questioned them carefully about the celebrations and once again received the same answer. They told him that the rejoicing was not done to mock him, but because a sacred god had appeared in Egypt The March Against the Ammonians.
Cambyses responded with cold sarcasm. He said that he would soon discover whether a “tame god” had truly come to live among the Egyptians. Without saying anything more, he ordered the priests to bring Apis before him at once.
The priests left his presence and went to fetch the sacred animal.
Who Apis Was to the Egyptians
Apis, whom the Greeks called Epaphus, was not an ordinary calf. To the Egyptians, he was a living god. They believed that Apis was born in a miraculous way. According to their belief, a ray of fire came down from heaven and entered a cow, causing her to conceive Apis. After giving birth to him, that cow was never able to bear another calf.
The Egyptians recognized Apis by special signs. He was black in color, with a square white mark on his forehead. On his back there was a marking shaped like an eagle. The hairs in his tail were double, and on his tongue there was the mark of a beetle. Only one such calf could exist at a time, and he was worshipped with great honor throughout Egypt.
Cambyses Attacks the Sacred Bull
When the priests returned and brought Apis before the king, Cambyses acted like a man who had lost all reason. He drew his dagger and struck at the animal’s belly. However, he missed his aim and stabbed Apis in the thigh instead Tour Guides Ephesus.
After wounding the sacred bull, Cambyses laughed loudly. Turning to the priests, he mocked them cruelly. He said that they were fools to believe a god could be made of flesh and blood and be wounded by iron. He scornfully called Apis a suitable god only for Egyptians and claimed that they had made him a laughing-stock.
Punishment of the Priests and the People
Cambyses’ anger did not stop with words. He ordered that the priests be beaten and punished severely. He also commanded that if any Egyptian was found celebrating or continuing the festival, that person should be put to death.
Because of this harsh command, all celebration in Egypt came to an abrupt end. Fear spread throughout the land, and the priests suffered greatly under Cambyses’ cruelty.
The Death of Apis
Apis, wounded in the thigh, did not die immediately. He lay in the temple for some time, growing weaker day by day. At last, he died from the wound that Cambyses had given him.
The priests, afraid of the king’s reaction, buried Apis secretly and without Cambyses’ knowledge. They honored him according to their customs, even though they were forced to act in silence and fear.
Madness and Sacrilege
This event was seen by the Egyptians as one of the greatest crimes committed by Cambyses. By wounding and killing Apis, he showed complete disrespect for Egyptian religion and traditions. His actions were remembered as signs of his madness and impiety, and they deepened the hatred and suffering between the Persians and the Egyptians.
