Amesemi | |
---|---|
Nubian Goddess of the Moon and Protection | |
Symbol | Crescent moon, Falcon |
Consort | Apedemak |
Equivalents | |
Greek equivalent | Selene |
Roman equivalent | Luna • Juno |
Bakongo equivalent | Nzambici |
Phrygian equivalent | Men |
Igbo equivalent | Ala |
Yoruba equivalent | Yemọja |
Amesemi is a Kushite protective goddess and wife of Apedemak, the lion-god. [1] She was represented with a crown shaped as a falcon, or with a crescent moon on her head on top of which a falcon was standing. The clothing that Amesemi is seen wearing is a robe that is made from cloth and is worn over her undergarments. She is often seen wearing a short necklace with large beads. She is also depicted holding a second set of hands with her.
In the north-front reliefs of the Lion Temple in Naqa she appears together with Isis, Mut, Hathor and Satet. Compared to the goddesses of ancient Egyptian origin Amesemi appears to be much more corpulent, which is typical for the representation of women in Meroe. [2] On stelae in the temple of Amun in Naqa she is shown together with the Kandake Amanishakheto. [3]
The oldest mention of Amesemi comes from Musawwarat es Sufra, from the late third century BCE. In Musawwarat es Sufra, she is mentioned six times in the Lion Temple in images. In these images, she is beside her husband Apedemak. On the exterior north wall, she is seen wearing a dress that is different from later illustration of her. This difference occurred because a standard of her appearance was not established at the time of King Arnekhamani, which was the time when the temple was built. The image of her on the wall also contains an inscription in Egyptian hieroglyphs which reads "'Jmsm – Amesemi". Amesemi is mentioned once at the Great Enclosure where she is touching her husband's shoulder. [4]
In the Temple of Amun Naqa 200, Amesemi is in a "triadic group on the exterior west wall. She follows a ram-headed deity presumably to be identified as Amun-Apedemak." [3] Temple F in the ancient town of Naqa, also known as Naga, has the earliest portrayals of Amesmi in Naga. These depictions were made between 170 and 150 BCE. She is depicted at the southern end of the interior south-east wall. She is standing behind an enthroned Apedemak and is touching his head. In the Lion Temple of Naga, she is depicted at least two times and there is an image of her on the exterior north wall which contains an inscription which translates to "“Oh Amesemi, who is in [.]mami[.], may she give them life, oh Amesemi.” In the Great Amun Temple Naga, the goddess is found in the hypostyle. In this image, Amanitore is seen adoring the goddess. There are not any other depictions of Amesemi in the Great Amun Temple in Naga but it is possible that there were paintings of the goddess during the use of this temple. In the smaller temple of Amun, Amesemi is illustrated on the exterior west wall with her husband. She appears here a second time, but this time she is with who is assumed to be Amun-Apedemak. Amesemi appears in a few other places in this site including many different stelae found. [5]
Amesemi is found at the Amun Temple of Amara in an art piece. Here she is getting offered a bowl by Prince Sorakarora. The Goddess is also portrayed in the kiosk of Natakamani and Amanitore, where she is behind the Lion God. The Goddess was also found depicted in smaller objects. She was found imaged in a seal impression alongside her husband. She was also found in different types of jewelry including: beads, armlets and ring plates.
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Apedemak or Apademak was a major deity in the ancient Nubian and Kushite pantheon. Often depicted as a figure with a male human torso and a lion head, Apedemak was a war god worshiped by the Meroitic peoples inhabiting Kush. He has no Egyptian counterpart. As a war god, Apedemak came to symbolize martial power, military conquest, and empire for the Meroitic peoples. Apedemak is also closely associated with Amun, the state-sponsored Egyptian deity during the preceding Napatan period, and is assumed to hold an equal level of importance.
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Naqa or Naga'a is a ruined ancient city of the Kushitic Kingdom of Meroë in modern-day Sudan. The ancient city lies about 170 km (110 mi) north-east of Khartoum, and about 50 km (31 mi) east of the Nile River located at approximately MGRS 36QWC290629877. Here smaller wadis meet the Wadi Awateib coming from the center of the Butana plateau region, and further north at Wad ban Naqa from where it joins the Nile. Naqa was only a camel or donkey's journey from the Nile, and could serve as a trading station on the way to the east; thus it had strategic importance.
Wad ben Naga is the name of an ancient town of the Kushitic Kingdom of Meroë in present-day Sudan. The village lies on the eastern bank of the Nile, about 80 kilometers upstream of Meroë and about 40 km southwest of Shendi.
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Musawwarat es-Sufra, also known as Al-Musawarat Al-Sufra, is a large Meroitic temple complex in modern Sudan, dating back to the early Meroitic period of the 3rd century BC. It is located in a large basin surrounded by low sandstone hills in the western Butana, 180 km northeast of Khartoum, 20 km north of Naqa and approximately 25 km south-east of the Nile. With Meroë and Naqa it is known as the Island of Meroe, and was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2011. Constructed in sandstone, the main features of the site include the Great Enclosure, the Lion Temple of Apedemak and the Great Reservoir. Most significant is the number of representations of elephants, suggesting that this animal played an important role at Musawwarat es-Sufra.
Arnekhamani was a Nubian king of the Kushite Kingdom in the third century BC. The king is mainly known from his building activity at the Musawwarat es-Sufra temple complex. The main temple complex at this place was built by Arnekhamani, but was never finished. Most likely the king died before completing the temples.
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