Amesemi is a

Kushite The Kingdom of Kush (; Egyptian: 𓎡𓄿𓈙 𓈉 ''kꜣš'', Assyrian: ''Kûsi'', in LXX grc, Κυς and Κυσι ; cop, ''Ecōš''; he, כּוּשׁ ''Kūš'') was an ancient kingdom in Nubia, centered along the Nile Valley in wh ...

protective goddess and wife of Apedemak, the lion-god. She was represented with a crown shaped as a

falcon Falcons () are birds of prey in the genus ''Falco'', which includes about 40 species. Falcons are widely distributed on all continents of the world except Antarctica, though closely related raptors did occur there in the Eocene. Adult falcons ...

, 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 also often seen wearing a short necklace with large beads. She is often seen depicted as holding a second set of hands with her. In the north-front reliefs of the Lion Temple in

Naqa Naqa or Naga'a ( ar, ٱلـنَّـقْـعَـة, An-Naqʿah) is a ruined ancient city of the Kushitic Kingdom of Meroë in modern-day Sudan. The ancient city lies about north-east of Khartoum, and about east of the Nile River located at appr ...

she appears together with

Isis Isis (; ''Ēse''; ; Meroitic: ''Wos'' 'a''or ''Wusa''; Phoenician: 𐤀𐤎, romanized: ʾs) was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kin ...

Mut Mut, also known as Maut and Mout, was a mother goddess worshipped in ancient Egypt and the Kingdom of Kush in present-day North Sudan. In Meroitic, her name was pronounced mata): 𐦨𐦴. Her name means ''mother'' in the ancient Egyptian l ...

Hathor Hathor ( egy, ḥwt-ḥr, lit=House of Horus, grc, Ἁθώρ , cop, ϩⲁⲑⲱⲣ, Meroitic: ) was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion who played a wide variety of roles. As a sky deity, she was the mother or consort of the sk ...

and

Satet Satet, Satit or Satjet, Satjit in Ancient Egyptian ( egy, Sṯt or ', ."Pourer" or "Shooter"), Greek: Satis, also known by numerous related names, was an Upper Egyptian goddess who, along with Khnum and Anuket, formed part of the Elephantin ...

. 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. On stelae in the temple of Amun in Naqa she is shown together with the Kandake

Amanishakheto Amanishakheto was a Kandake of Kush. She seems to have reigned from 10 BC to 1 AD, although most dates of Kushite history before the Middle Ages are very uncertain. In Meroitic hieroglyphs her name is written "Amanikasheto" (''Mniskhte'' or ''( ...

Sites with references to Amesemi

Musawwarat es Sufra

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.

The Temples of Naqa

Temple F in the ancient town of

, 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 ami 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.

Other depictions of Amesemi

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 Natakamani was a King of Kush who reigned from around or earlier than 1 BC to c. AD 20.Oliver, Roland and Brian M. Fagan ''Africa in the Iron Age'' "Cambridge University Press". p. 40. . Natakamani is the best attested ruler of the Meroitic period. ...

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.

References

{{Ancient Egyptian religion footer Nubian goddesses Egyptian goddesses Tutelary goddesses Falcon deities