ARCHAEOLOGISTS have discovered 66 statues of an Egyptian war goddess believed to have been warding off evil from Amenhotep III’s temple.
Amenhotep III’s reign, believed to have been between 1386 to 1349 BC, is regarded as the peak of Egypt’s prosperity, power and splendour.
German archaeologists uncovered dozens of statues of the lion-headed goddess Sekhmet in King Amenhotep II’s temple
German scientists were surprised to discover the statues of goddess Sekhmet, along with during a restoration project in Luxor, the site of the ancient city of Thebes.
They discovered the statues while hunting for a temple wall separating two sites.
Sekhmet, often called “the powerful one” is the daughter of Egyptian sun god Ra and was believed to ward off evil and ill health.
Her influence was so great on the Egyptians that when the first pharaoh of the twelfth dynasty, Amenemhat I, moved the capital of Egypt to Itjtawy, her spiritual centre followed.
Some of the statues depict her standing and holding the symbol of life – a sceptre made of papyrus.
Archaeologists uncover a statue of Amenhotep III in Luxor, Egypt
ccording to the Ministry of Antiquities, the Egyptian-German archaeological mission working on the temple of King Amenhotep III in Luxor, led by German Egyptologist Hourig Sourouzian has unearthed 66 statues and fragments of statues for Sekhmet, a warrior goddess as well as goddess of healing to the Ancient Egyptians
Goddess Sekhmet
Researchers with a German archaeological mission in Egypt discovered 66 well-preserved statues of Sekhmet and one of King Amenhotep III near Luxor, the site of the ancient city Thebes.
An illustration of Sekhmet, the goddess with a lion’s head
Her influence was so great on the Egyptians that when the first pharaoh of the twelfth dynasty, Amenemhat I, moved the capital of Egypt to Itjtawy, her spiritual centre followed.
Some of the statues depict her standing and holding the symbol of life – a sceptre made of papyrus.
A toppled black granite statue of Amenhotep III was also found at the site.
“It is a masterpiece of ancient Egyptian sculpture: extremely well carved and perfectly polished,” said Hourig Sourouzian, director of the Colossi of Memnon and Amenhotep III Temple Conservation Project.
The statue shows the king as a young man and is thought to have been commissioned during his reign.
Pharoah Amenhotep III became a kind at the age of 12, when he inherited an empire spanning from Euphrates to Sudan, according to historians.
His temple is being preserved and rebuilt as part of a government approved renovation project which began in 1998.
Several incredible discoveries have been made from his reign recently, including a chilling find in a 3,600 year old tomb.