statues for this purpose. Each statue was carved from wood and armed with a bronze or copper hatchet, dagger, and bow hanging from the shoulder. These figures could be buried under the gate, speculated as them acting along with Nergal and other death/underworld gods Lugal-irra and Meslamta-ea to halt the advance of evil into the home. Incantations would be chanted over the statues, calling upon their warrior prowess. The statues could also be placed at the head of the bed with the previous gods, their sister Narunde, and an Ugallu demon. One text involving their placement at the head of the bed specifically dealt with repelling illness from the man who lied there, where they were placed alongside Apkallu sage figures. The Sebitti also appear in Assyrian palaces alongside other protector demons and deities, in relief along the walls of the palace. Two plaques from the palace of Assurbanipal likely contain the group, one with three gods and the opposite with four. Each are armed with a hatchet and a dagger. The group has made appearances in Exorcistic ritual as well. One text describes the exorcist as being "protected at all sides" by the gods, including the Heptad. Theories of origin and history The first known references to the group were in their connection and relation to the Pleiades, where they were worshipped as "the Seven Warriors" in a temple open to the elements where offerings were made to astral deities. By the first millennium in Assyria their cult was prominent, and there is some reference to them in the Babylonian sphere as well, though there they were considerably rarer. References Bibliography Mesopotamian gods War gods