Egyptian goddess on the move

Sakhmet was the goddess of fire

A delicate operation to move an ancient Egyptian statue out of a museum begins on Friday.

The Eighteenth Dynasty (c.1400 BC) statue of the lion-headed goddess, Sakhmet, is on the move after a 21-year stay in Bristol.

She currently stands at the entrance to the Egyptian section of Bristol's City Museum & Art Gallery.

As part of the preparations for a new Egyptian gallery, the existing 20-year-old exhibition area is being demolished and Sakhmet, along with many of the other statues, needs to be moved.

The 9ft statue, which weighs about half a ton (508kg) has been on loan to Bristol from the British Museum since 1982.

'Crusher of hearts'

As the British Museum has received many requests for the loan of this statue, she will now return there before travelling to Japan as part of a touring exhibition which starts later this year.

The goddess Sakhmet, normally depicted with the head of a lioness surmounted by a sun disc, had many aspects to her character.

As the wrathful and bloodthirsty "crusher of hearts" she inflicted divine anger, was the "lady of the messengers of death" and the goddess of fire.

She was also, in contrast, the patron of doctors, veterinary surgeons and bonesetters.

Bristol's new Egyptian gallery is due to open in 2005 and aims to give visitors a flavour of how the ancient Egyptians lived, worked, ruled and worshipped.