In Egypte zijn tijdens onderzoek naar een tempel in Luxor voor de farao Amenhotep III uit de 18e dynastie (1580 tot 1314 vc) 17 beelden gevonden van de oorlogsgodin Sekhmet.
More ancient war goddess statues found in Egypt
March 13, 2006
CAIRO -- A team of German archaeologists has unearthed 17 statues of the lion-headed goddess Sekhmet during restoration work at an ancient temple in the southern city of Luxor, culture minister Farouk Hosni announced on Sunday.
The team found the statues of the war goddess near the same site where six similar statues were unearthed last week, on the location of the 18th dynasty (1580 to 1314 BC) temple of Pharaoh Amenhotep III on the west bank of the Nile, Hosni added in a statement.
The black granite statues were life-size, measure between 1.7 and 1.8 meters and show Sekhmet sitting on a throne holding the Ankh, a hieroglyphic sign that represented life for the ancient Egyptians, said Zahi Hawass, head of the Supreme Council of Antiquities.
Hawass said that there were inscriptions on either side of the seat indicating the various names of the Pharaoh Amenhotep III.
The team, he explained, was currently in the process of raising the statues, which were found in three meter-deep holes and measuring eight meters in diameter, for restoration.
Last week Egyptian and German archaeologists found six statues for Sekhmet near the courtyard of the same temple.
The goddess Sekhmet was associated with war and retribution and represented the destructive force of the sun. Part of her destructive side was disease and plague, but she could also cure ailments.
Pharaoh Amenhotep III collected many statues of Sekhmet as, according to some theories, he had dental and other health problems that he hoped the goddess would be able to cure.
Nou was de 18e dynastie een behoorlijk imperialistische oorlogsdynastie, en ik ben eigenlijk erg nieuwsgierig naar hoe oorlogsgodinnen en -goden in die oorlogszuchtige gebiedsuitbreiding en veroveringstochten waren geïmplementeerd, maar volgens dit bericht verzamelde Amenhotep III beelden van Sekhmet omdat hij tandpijn had, en hoopte dat de godin hem daarvan af wilde helpen.
Heel merkwaardig. Toch eens proberen uit te vissen wat nu de rol en de positie van oorlogsgoden in Egypte was, en hoe zij werden vereerd in tijden van oorlog.
