Funerary figurine used in ancient Egyptian religion
Memphis, 500 BC – Troop of funerary servant figures ushabtis in the name of Neferibreheb, Louvre-LensFour ushabtis of Khabekhnet and their box; 1279–1213 BC; painted limestone; height of the ushabtis: 16.7 cm; Metropolitan Museum of ArtUshabti Figurine, Albert Hall Museum
The ushabti (also called shabti or shawabti, with a number of variant spellings) was a funerary figurine used in ancient Egyptian funerary practices. The Egyptological term is derived from 𓅱𓈙𓃀𓏏𓏭𓀾wšbtj, which replaced earlier 𓆷𓍯𓃀𓏏𓏭𓀾šwbtj, perhaps the nisba of 𓈙𓍯𓃀𓆭šwꜣb "Persea tree".
Ushabtis were placed in tombs among the grave goods and were intended to act as servants or minions for the deceased, should they be called upon to do manual labor in the afterlife. The figurines frequently carried a hoe on their shoulder and a basket on their backs, implying they were intended to farm for the deceased. They were usually written on by the use of hieroglyphs typically found on the legs.[1][2] They carried inscriptions asserting their readiness to answer the gods' summons to work.[3]
The practice of using ushabtis originated in the Old Kingdom of Egypt (c. 2600 to 2100 BCE), with the use of life-sized reserve heads made from limestone, which were buried with the mummy.[4] Most ushabtis were of minor size, and many produced in multiples – they sometimes covered the floor around a sarcophagus. Exceptional ushabtis are of larger size, or produced as a one-of-a-kind master work.
Due to the ushabti's commonness through all Egyptian time periods, and world museums' desire to represent ancient Egyptian art objects, the ushabti is one of the most commonly represented objects in Egyptology displays. Produced in huge numbers, ushabtis, along with scarabs, are the most numerous of all ancient Egyptian antiquities to survive.
Collection of Ushabti Figurines, Albert Hall Museum, Jaipur
^Taylor (2000), p. 114
^Teeter, E (October 1998). "Harry M. Stewart. Egyptian Shabtis". Journal of Near Eastern Studies: 299–300. doi:10.1086/468658.
The ushabti (also called shabti or shawabti, with a number of variant spellings) was a funerary figurine used in ancient Egyptian funerary practices....
of Khonsu, Metropolitan Museum of Art Ushabti box of Khabekhnet Ushabti box of Paramnekhu and assorted ushabti of Khabekhnet, Iyneferti, and Ramose Metropolitan...
from the Sanctuary of Khonsu Temple depicting Rameses III wearing a nemes Ushabti of Ramses IV with a nemes, c. 1143 – c. 1136 BCE Statue at Abu Simbel of...
Four ushabtis of Khabekhnet and their box; 1279–1213 BC; painted limestone; height of the ushabtis: 16.7 cm; Metropolitan Museum of Art Ushabti; 360–343 BC;...
Nefertiti returned to Thebes from Amarna to rule as a Pharaoh, based on ushabti and other feminine evidence of a female pharaoh found in Tutankhamun's...
chamber and contained only embossed gold foil, furniture knobs, and a single ushabti. The contents likely originated from the Eighteenth Dynasty tomb of Ay...
an Egyptian canopic jar Jar burial Art of ancient Egypt § Funerary art Ushabti In the afterlife, it was believed, the heart would be weighed against the...
Ushabti of a concubine, with a naked body, jewelry underlying the breasts, and shaved pubis with visible vulva, wearing a heavy wig with erotic implications...
the banks of the Vltava. Thumbelina – A small girl created by a witch. Ushabti – Egyptian figurines. Vasilisa the Beautiful – A doll that came to life...
Gardena, South Tyrol (Italy), since the 17th century. Significant types: Ushabti - Ancient Egypt, mostly placed in tombs Olmec figurine Psi and phi type...
interest in Egyptology. Findings so far include thousands of potshards, ushabti, faience beads, hieratic ostraca, glass vials, inlays and a large statue...
earlier. They mapped the tomb and made drawings of some of the artefacts (ushabti) found which were published in Description de l'Egypte. The tomb was visited...
scenes of the family and 1,000 funerary statues or ushabti. The other discovery was of 1000 ushabti and two sarcophagi each containing a mummy in the TT33...
made of cedar wood and covered with gold, a statue of King Akhenaten, ushabti statues that belonged to the Nubian kings, a mummy of a child, and a small...
of "Scribe of the Temple of Abydos", is now in Syracuse.: 168 Several ushabti belonging to Padiamenope are known; all of these are broken, presumably...
Tupilaq (Inuit) – large statues brought to life to serve witches and shamans Ushabti (Egyptian) – clay guardians/assistants Various objects animated by gods...
items such as sandals, model tools for ushabti, cloth, and the lids of ushabti boxes. A total of nineteen ushabti were present in the tomb – fifteen inscribed...
Di Penates Household deity Lares Mount Gerizim Plastered human skulls Ushabti Smith, William Robertson; Box, George Herbert (1911). "Teraphim" . In Chisholm...
again without an involuntary shudder. Carl Peters collected a ceramic ushabti in 1905. Flinders Petrie examined it and identified a cartouche on its...
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