Sekhmet Unearthed
Statues of war goddess found in southern Egyptian temple
Cairo - Six statues of the Egyptian goddess of war, Sekhmet, have been discovered at the Amenhotep III Temple on the West bank of Luxor, 700 kilometres south of Cairo, Egyptian experts said Monday.
Head of the Supreme Council for Antiquities, Zahi Hawas, said that the statues, sculpted in dark granite, portray Sekhmet seated on a throne and holding the symbol of life. The statues, which were found in good condition, were discovered by a German excavation team.
The photo released by the Egyptian Supreme Council on Antiquities on Monday 06 March 2006 shows a statue of lion-headed Goddess Sekhmet that were recently discovered by a team of German and Spanish archaeologists from The Colossi of Memnon and Amenhotep III Temple Conservation Project in ancient Thebes near Luxor in Upper Egypt. Sekhmet meaning 'the powerful' was believed to represent the protective mother of the monarch and help the king to fight against his enemies. There have been 20 of these Sekhmet statues found in the temple complex of Amenhotep III.
source
A Hymn of Sekhmet says:
Mine is a heart of carnelian, crimson as murder on a holy day.Mine is a heart of corneal, the gnarled roots of a dogwood and the bursting of flowers.I am the broken wax seal on my lover's letters.I am the phoenix, the fiery sun, consuming and resuming myself.I will what I will.Mine is a heart of carnelian, blood red as the crest of a phoenix.
Two statues of Sekhmet (standing) in the Egyptian Museum of Berlin.
wiki article on Sekhmet
As a healer, Sekhmet's power to destroy things utterly would be invoked against the invisible "demons" of plague and disease; Sekhmet's priesthood in antiquity were trained surgeons of remarkable caliber, given the standards for medicine in the ancient world.
kemet.org
approximate festival dates
the hundred names of Sekhmet
Cairo - Six statues of the Egyptian goddess of war, Sekhmet, have been discovered at the Amenhotep III Temple on the West bank of Luxor, 700 kilometres south of Cairo, Egyptian experts said Monday.
Head of the Supreme Council for Antiquities, Zahi Hawas, said that the statues, sculpted in dark granite, portray Sekhmet seated on a throne and holding the symbol of life. The statues, which were found in good condition, were discovered by a German excavation team.
The photo released by the Egyptian Supreme Council on Antiquities on Monday 06 March 2006 shows a statue of lion-headed Goddess Sekhmet that were recently discovered by a team of German and Spanish archaeologists from The Colossi of Memnon and Amenhotep III Temple Conservation Project in ancient Thebes near Luxor in Upper Egypt. Sekhmet meaning 'the powerful' was believed to represent the protective mother of the monarch and help the king to fight against his enemies. There have been 20 of these Sekhmet statues found in the temple complex of Amenhotep III.
source
A Hymn of Sekhmet says:
Mine is a heart of carnelian, crimson as murder on a holy day.Mine is a heart of corneal, the gnarled roots of a dogwood and the bursting of flowers.I am the broken wax seal on my lover's letters.I am the phoenix, the fiery sun, consuming and resuming myself.I will what I will.Mine is a heart of carnelian, blood red as the crest of a phoenix.
Two statues of Sekhmet (standing) in the Egyptian Museum of Berlin.
wiki article on Sekhmet
As a healer, Sekhmet's power to destroy things utterly would be invoked against the invisible "demons" of plague and disease; Sekhmet's priesthood in antiquity were trained surgeons of remarkable caliber, given the standards for medicine in the ancient world.
kemet.org
approximate festival dates
the hundred names of Sekhmet