Archaeologists excavating the Mortuary Temple of King Amenhotep III in Luxor, Egypt, discovered a number of statues of the goddess Sekhmet, daughter of the ancient Egyptian sun god Re.

The busts of Sekhmet area said to be of great artistic quality. The statues, which were found in four parts, including three busts and one headless torso. The works that lead to the discovery are connected with an attempt to save the remains of the more than 3000-years-old temple and eventually restore its dispersed artefacts to the site, to be presented in their original layout.

The busts were found buried in the temple’s hypostyle hall – a roofed structure supported by columns. Several other statues of the goddess have been found previously on the same site. The many statues of the goddess in the temple of Amenhotep III would have been intended to protect the ruler from evil and disease as well as defending Sekhmet’s father Re against enemies.

In addition to the statues of Sekhmet, archaeologists uncovered large pieces of sphinxes in a bad state of preservation carved in limestone, as well as a small torso of a deity in black granite, within the vicinity of the funerary temple’s third pylon.

(after Ahram Online)