"Egyptologists have discovered three 400-year-old statues depicting the lion-headed goddess Sekhmet, Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities said on Monday. Sekhmet embodied the destructive powers of the sun and was responsible for both curing and causing illness. Ancient Egyptians believed Sekhmet helped the pharaoh defeat his enemies by breathing fire and sending plagues. A German-Egyptian team of archaeologists discovered the group of six statues during restoration work at the temple of Amenhotep III in Luxor. The black granite statues show Sekhmet seated on a throne holding an ankh, or symbol of life, and are in good condition, the state's Middle East News Agency quoted the council's Secretary General Zahi Hawass as saying. The statues are about 150cm high. The find brings the number of Sekhmet statues found at the site to 30, Hawass said."
This is the full item on the IOL website.
http://tinyurl.com/pxp4z (Monsters and Critics)
The Monsters and Critics website has photographs of some of the newly found statues, and adds the following comments: "Hawas said three of the statues were found intact and were crowned with the sun disc, while the upper part of the fourth Sekhmet statue is still covered. The fifth and sixth statues are partly conserved up to the waist raising speculation that a bust found by the mission last season would fit onto one of them. The parts that Hawas vowed would be reassembled will be put on display in the future museum in planning. Head of the mission Hourig Sourouzian said that this cache is the seventh to be found by their team during excavation efforts in the Peristyle Court. The six statues were spread in the northern half of the east portico of the court, where they had been buried underneath the temple ground. The German mission had uncovered during their excavation work in the same temple 30 statues for the goddess Sekhmet, who is mainly known as the goddess of war."
http://tinyurl.com/pxp4z (Monsters and Critics)
The Monsters and Critics website has photographs of some of the newly found statues, and adds the following comments: "Hawas said three of the statues were found intact and were crowned with the sun disc, while the upper part of the fourth Sekhmet statue is still covered. The fifth and sixth statues are partly conserved up to the waist raising speculation that a bust found by the mission last season would fit onto one of them. The parts that Hawas vowed would be reassembled will be put on display in the future museum in planning. Head of the mission Hourig Sourouzian said that this cache is the seventh to be found by their team during excavation efforts in the Peristyle Court. The six statues were spread in the northern half of the east portico of the court, where they had been buried underneath the temple ground. The German mission had uncovered during their excavation work in the same temple 30 statues for the goddess Sekhmet, who is mainly known as the goddess of war."
See the above page for the rest of the item, and for the photographs.
In summary, combining the information in both articles, it appears that three complete statues were found, and incomplete remains of another three were also found, brining the number in the cache to six.
In summary, combining the information in both articles, it appears that three complete statues were found, and incomplete remains of another three were also found, brining the number in the cache to six.
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