Egyptologists have discovered 3,400-year-old statues depicting the lion-headed goddess Sekhmet, Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities said 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 5 feet (150 centimeters) high. The find brings the number of Sekhmet statues found at the site to 30, Hawass said.
