On Saturday 2 December 2017 a team of archaeologists discovered 27 statues of the goddess Sekhmet while excavating the Temple of Amenhotep 111, on the West Bank at Luxor. All were made from black granite. Since work began at this site in 1998, 287 statues of Sekhmet have been unearthed. There may be many more. The Metropolitan Museum, New York, estimates that there may have been 730 statues of the goddess, describing these as a ‘litany in stone’. Offerings were made to a different statue of the goddess each day. She was literally ‘the powerful one’.
I often visit the Sekhmets in the British Museum, waiting for that moment when the crowds part, and I’m left alone. I’m fascinated by the way children are drawn to her; they stand to attention, taking on her posture and something of her being as they pose for photographs. They seem to enter a place of silence and stillness.
It’s hard to think of anything more mysterious than the Goddesses and Gods of Ancient Egypt. It’s been suggested that the lioness headed goddess came from Sudan, where lions were common. She’s believed to be one of the oldest goddesses, with most of her statues dating to the C18 Dynasty (1550-1292 bce), New Kingdom. A solar goddess, closely associated with Ra, she was mainly seen as a deity of Lower Egypt but her worship took place at different places. She became one of the triad of gods worshipped at Memphis, along with her husband Ptah, the god of creation, and son Nefertum, the god of sunrise. She was closely associated with Hathor, and a hymn to Sekhmet is found in Hathor’s temple at Dendera. Another hymn to her is found in the chapter on the preservation of the body, in the Book of Coming Forth by Day (often called The Book of the Dead).
As Goddess of War, offerings were made to her at the end of battle. She could bring drought, plague and famine, but she was also the patron of healers and had the power to mend broken bones. Among her many names are Lady of Nourishment, Lady of Fury, Queen of Heaven, She of the Many Faces, Lady of the Tomb, Lady of Flame. It seems fitting that she is reappearing in this age of global warming and ‘natural’ disasters.
The British Museum has thirty statues of the goddess, some stored in the basement and others on loan, such as the one I encountered in the Hancock Museum in Newcastle. A little mentioned one of her stands guard over the doorway to Sotheby’s in London’s Bond Street. Auctioned in the 1880’s, and sold as part of a lot for £40, it was never collected. Perhaps a rather strange guardian for the scandal filled world of auctions, but perhaps she’s a reminder of the magical power of things and a talisman against any lingering curses attached to ancient artefacts taken from tombs and temples traded in the salesroom.
I often visit the Sekhmets in the British Museum, waiting for that moment when the crowds part, and I’m left alone. I’m fascinated by the way children are drawn to her; they stand to attention, taking on her posture and something of her being as they pose for photographs. They seem to enter a place of silence and stillness.
It’s hard to think of anything more mysterious than the Goddesses and Gods of Ancient Egypt. It’s been suggested that the lioness headed goddess came from Sudan, where lions were common. She’s believed to be one of the oldest goddesses, with most of her statues dating to the C18 Dynasty (1550-1292 bce), New Kingdom. A solar goddess, closely associated with Ra, she was mainly seen as a deity of Lower Egypt but her worship took place at different places. She became one of the triad of gods worshipped at Memphis, along with her husband Ptah, the god of creation, and son Nefertum, the god of sunrise. She was closely associated with Hathor, and a hymn to Sekhmet is found in Hathor’s temple at Dendera. Another hymn to her is found in the chapter on the preservation of the body, in the Book of Coming Forth by Day (often called The Book of the Dead).
As Goddess of War, offerings were made to her at the end of battle. She could bring drought, plague and famine, but she was also the patron of healers and had the power to mend broken bones. Among her many names are Lady of Nourishment, Lady of Fury, Queen of Heaven, She of the Many Faces, Lady of the Tomb, Lady of Flame. It seems fitting that she is reappearing in this age of global warming and ‘natural’ disasters.
The British Museum has thirty statues of the goddess, some stored in the basement and others on loan, such as the one I encountered in the Hancock Museum in Newcastle. A little mentioned one of her stands guard over the doorway to Sotheby’s in London’s Bond Street. Auctioned in the 1880’s, and sold as part of a lot for £40, it was never collected. Perhaps a rather strange guardian for the scandal filled world of auctions, but perhaps she’s a reminder of the magical power of things and a talisman against any lingering curses attached to ancient artefacts taken from tombs and temples traded in the salesroom.