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Datec. 1070-656 B.C.E.
MediumClay with black pigment
DimensionsOverall: 4 × 1 3/8 × 7/8 in. (10.2 × 3.4 × 2.2 cm)
Credit LineGift of William C. Winslow, Class of 1862
Object number1943.108
Not on view
DescriptionAs conceived by Ancient Egyptians, the afterlife was not much different from life on earth, although one never had to worry about illness or death. A highly valued facet of Egyptian life–and therefore afterlife–was labor. In the afterlife, this meant that everyone was expected to toil in fields of reeds called Aaru for Osiris, the god of death. Although in the predynastic and early dynastic eras, lasting from around 5500 to 2700 BCE, the pharaoh’s slaves and servants were sacrificed following his death so that they could take the pharaoh's place in the Aaru, this cruel practice seems to have been relatively unpopular and consequently faded away. In its place, the Book of the Dead provided a spell for calling forth shabtis–mummiform figurines with painted or carved symbols and features–to take one’s place in the Aaru. The earliest shabtis were unclothed and made of wax or wood; later, they were made of clay and faience and were clothed in garments tailored to specific agricultural tasks (for example, some had satchels to collect the harvest, while others had sickles and hoes). While the poorest of Ancient Egyptians could not afford to be buried with any shabti figures, most tombs contain at least a few shabtis, although usually of poorer quality than those that might be found in a pharaoh's tomb; for those who could afford it, a single tomb could hold over 400 shabti.
Written by Christina Naston, Class of 2020
Catalogue card from the 1960s: "Clay ushabti. Egyptian, XXI-XXVth Dyns. Gift of: W.C. Winslow, '62. Buff clay; reddish wash; black paint on wig, inscription. Rather flat. Hands crossed in very low relief. Front moulded. Back flat."
Additional Details
Alternate Titles
Ushabti
Provenance
by 1943: Hamilton College, by gift of William C. Winslow;
date unknown: William C. Winslow.
date unknown: William C. Winslow.
Markings
None noted.
Signature
Not signed.
Inscribed
Columnar inscription down front [illegible] in black pigment.