Shabti figures of the Eighteenth Dynasty (about 1550-1300 BC) were usually shown in a mummiform state, wearing a heavy wig and holding agricultural implements or funerary symbols in their crossed hands. However, for a period in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Dynasties figures in everyday dress were introduced, a phenomenon also seen in contemporary coffins. However, in the Third Intermediate Period (about 1070-661 BC), the mummiform shape returned for the 365 figures now normal, although something
Egypt was brought partially under Kushite domination by Piye (reigned about 747-716 BC). On his commemorative stela he claims that he was acting with the blessing of the god Amun to restore order to the country. At the time, Egypt was politically divided into small areas, governed by local dynasts who often styled themselves as kings. It was the ambition of Piye and his successors to restore Egypt to greatness. Unfortunately, their intervention in political affairs in Palestine brought Egypt to
Shabti figures were placed in Egyptian tombs from the late Middle Kingdom (about 2040-1750 BC). They were intended to act for the deceased if they were called upon to perform manual tasks in the Afterlife. The fact that shabti figures often hold hoes or picks indicate that this work was thought to be agricultural. Shabti were usually represented in a mummified state, with the hoes or picks held crossed over the chest. A spell from the Book of the Dead was inscribed on the front of the figure t
Granite shabti
This fine limestone shabti shows the tomb owner in a mummified form. It also shows the main elements by which shabti figures can be identified. Her heavy formal wig, facial features and other details are picked out in black and red paint. Her hands are crossed over her chest, and hold a pair of hoes. Shabti figures may hold these or other agricultural tools, such as adzes, picks or water pots. These implements show that they were ready to perform, on behalf of the tomb owner, the agricultural la
Though buried in their local town, some ancient Egyptians, like Renseneb, had a 'substitute burial' made at Abydos, the town of the god Osiris . These burials would include elements which would be placed within a real tomb, such as shabti figures . The earliest shabti date to the Middle Kingdom (about 2040-1750 BC). According to directions in the Coffin Texts , shabti figures should be made of wood, but were often made of clay or stone. Some of the figures were inscribed with a spell from the
Throughout the New Kingdom (about 1550-1070 BC) the number of shabti figures which were placed in a burial increased. During the Third Intermediate Period (about 1070-661 BC) it became common to have a shabti for every day of the year, with an 'overseer' for every 10 workers. This gave a total of 401 shabti figures in a set, and more than one set could be provided. From the late New Kingdom, shabti figures were mass-produced using moulds, often consisting of several different types. Faience was
Shabti figures of the New Kingdom (about 1550-1070 BC) were often made of stone, with paint used to give the servant figures a lifelike appearance. This is a particularly fine example. The heavy wig, with gold bands at the ends, rests over an elaborate and colourful collar. The red-brown colour of the face indicates that the figure is male. Ancient Egyptian women were usually depicted with paler skin, implying that they did not have to go out and work in the harsh sunlight. The white on the shab
Shabti figures first became part of the Egyptian funerary tradition in the Middle Kingdom (about 2040-1750 BC). A number of royal examples are known from the New Kingdom (about 1550-1070 BC), the earliest of which is that of Ahmose, now also in the British Museum; there were of course several hundred in the tomb of Tutankhamun. No shabti has been found in the tombs of any subsequent kings until Sety I (1294-1279 BC), in whose tomb the remains of hundreds were found. Many of these shabti were of
An article about Egyptian shabti figures