Sekhmet

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Statue of Sekhmet, Thebes (Ramesseum), Dynasty 18, reign of Amenhotep III (1390-1353 BCE), Granodiorite As a warlike and protective goddess, imagery of Sekhmet often accompanied the pharaoh into battle. With her fiery arrows, she could send plagues and other diseases against her (and Pharaoh’s) enemies. The Egyptians also invoked her to ward off or cure diseases. Some scholars believe that a plague during the reign of Amenhotep III may have prompted that king to erect numerous statues of this goddess as an appeal for divine help. This Sekhmet statue is one of the less-common standing types. Photo: Tom Jenkins.