One of the reasons I find ushabti ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ figures so fascinating is because they come in many different styles and can be made from many different types of materials. Most ushabti ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ figures are made of faience ๐ฃ๐๐๐ธ๐ผ, but can also be made out of wood, limestone ๐๐๐๐, calcite, terracotta and more rarely, bronze ๐๐ค๐๐ฆ. The faience ๐ฃ๐๐๐ธ๐ผ ushabti ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ figures can come in all different colors: blue ๐๐น๐๐ฟ๐ธ๐ฅ, red ๐ง๐๐๐ , green ๐ ๐ฟ๐๐, blue-green ๐ ๐๐, white ๐๐๐ณ and others!
I love how this display at the British Museum shows many different styles/colors of ushabtis ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ!
There are two ๐ป ways to write ushabti in hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช:
๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ – ลกwbtj – the earlier word that was used in Egypt. ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ – wลกbtj – the โnewerโ form of the word. This is where the Egyptological term of โushabtiโ or โshabtiโ (both are correct terms to use) originated from!
So which version of the word do I use in my posts? Both! I like to mix it up! โ ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พโ seems to be the version preferred by Allen, while โ ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พโ seems to be more used by Budge and other earlier hieroglyphic dictionaries. I think itโs important to be able to recognize both versions for translation purposes! In English, my Nonno always said โushabtiโ so I always use it! I will rarely say/use โshabti.โ
This group of blue ๐๐น๐๐ฟ๐ธ๐ฅ glazed faience ๐ฃ๐๐๐ธ๐ผ ushabti ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ (or shabti) figures belonged to different โHigh Priests of Amun ๐น๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ณโ and their families. These ushabtis ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ were found in the Royal Cache at Deir el-Bahri and are dated to the 21-22 Dynasties (1070-925 B.C.E.).
The โHigh Priest of Amun ๐น๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ณโ was the top ranking priest ๐น๐ in the priesthood of the god ๐น Amun ๐๐ ๐. The High Priests of Amun ๐น๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ณ first appeared during the 18th Dynasty of the New Kingdom and gained a lot of power under Hatshepsut ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช and Thutmosis III ๐ณ๐ ๐ฃ. The Theban high priest was usually appointed by the pharaoh ๐๐ป. However, their power was curtailed when Akhenaten ๐๐๐๐ณ๐ ๐๐ came to the throne and changed the polytheistic Egyptian religion to the monotheistic worship ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ข of the Aten ๐๐๐๐ณ.
Though not officially pharaohs ๐๐ป๐ฆ themselves, The High Priests of Amun ๐น๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ณ during the 21st Dynasty were unofficial rulers of Upper Egypt ๐. Their names ๐๐๐ฆ even appeared in cartouches and they were buried in royal tombs ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ฆ. This partially explains why these particular ushabti ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ figures have the craftsmanship that would usually be reserved for royalty.
Here is a very nice raised relief in limestone ๐๐๐๐ which depicts pharaoh ๐๐ป Thutmosis III ๐ ๐ ๐ด wearing the blue crown ๐ฃ๐๐๐ (left). He can be identified based off of the hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช of his name ๐๐ that appear to his right.
Limestone relief of Thutmosis III in the Brooklyn Museum
Here are the hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช broken down:
๐ณ๐ ๐ฃ – Menkheperra (Thutmosis IIIโs throne name) ๐น๐ค – The Great God ๐๐ฟ๐ฟ – Lord of the Two Lands
Also on the right is the remnant of another person – most likely the pharaoh ๐๐ป Hatshepsut ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช (a portion of a shoulder and a crown are seen, so the presence of the crown allows us to infer that it is in fact another royal figure).
What is super interesting about this piece is that the images ๐๐ ฑ๐๐ฆ of the pharaohs ๐๐ป๐ฆ that are carved are not the actual pharaohs ๐๐ป๐ฆ themselves, but statues ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ๐ช of them! This relief is depicting a religious precession that took place at Hatshepsutโs ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช mortuary temple at Deir el-Bahri ๐ฆ๐๐ฆ๐ฅ๐. This piece was excavated from the temple and is dated to c. 1478-1458 B.C.E.
Here is another example of a limestone ๐๐๐๐ relief of Thutmosis III ๐ ๐ ๐ด wearing the blue crown ๐ฃ๐๐๐. Menkheperra ๐ณ๐ ๐ฃ (Thutmosis IIIโs throne name) is above his head ๐ถ๐บ on the relief so we know that it is him! This one is in the Vatican Museum!
Limestone relief of Thutmosis III in the Vatican Museum
While many know that the Ankh ๐น is the symbol that corresponds with the word โLife,โ the Ankh ๐น had other symbolic meanings as well – one of which is shown on this relief fragment!
The Ankh ๐น can also symbolize the purifying ๐ด๐๐ power of water ๐. In many temples ๐๐๐๐ฆ in Egypt ๐๐ ๐๐, a pharaoh ๐๐ป (like Thutmosis III ๐ ๐ ๐ด here) is flanked by two ๐ป gods ๐น๐น๐น. One of the gods ๐น๐น๐น who did was was usually Thoth ๐ ๐๐ญ๐ญ, but it is impossible to tell which god ๐น is performing the action in this relief. The gods ๐น๐น๐น would pour a stream of Ankhs ๐น๐น๐น over his head ๐ถ๐บ to cleanse ๐ด๐๐ and purify ๐ด๐๐ him (Fun Fact: cleanse and purify can be the same word in hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช but there are other variations of each word too).
Totally unrelated thought but I have always loved the word for water (๐) because it is the โnโ symbol! Since my name ๐๐ is Nicole and my name would start with ๐ in hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช, as a kid ๐๐๐ I would refer to ๐ and ๐ as โmy symbolโ ๐.
Here is a limestone ๐๐๐๐ fragment of a parapet (c. 1352-1336 B.C.E., New Kingdom Amarna Period) that depicts the pharaoh ๐๐ป Akhenaten ๐๐๐๐ณ๐ ๐๐ and Nefertiti ๐๐๐๐ณ๐ค๐ค๐ค๐ค๐ค๐๐๐ญ. A parapet is a low wall, and it may have been part of a temple ๐๐๐ at one point.
In the image ๐๐ ฑ๐, Nefertiti ๐๐๐๐ณ๐ค๐ค๐ค๐ค๐ค๐๐๐ญ is offering cartouches to the Aten ๐๐๐๐ณ. These cartouches do not belong to Akhenaten ๐๐๐๐ณ๐ ๐๐, but to the Aten ๐๐๐๐ณ itself which is different because cartouches were usually for pharaohs. Also strange is that other gods ๐น๐น๐น are mentioned in the Atenโs ๐๐๐๐ณ cartouches, even while the Egyptian religion was banned. These might be early cartouches, before a complete ban took effect. There is also a lot of debate because does this mean that Akhenaten ๐๐๐๐ณ๐ ๐๐ was the Aten ๐๐๐๐ณ on Earth ๐พ๐พ, or were they two ๐ป separate beings?
Front side of the limestone parapet from Amarna
Here is a closer look at the cartouches:
(๐๐๐ ๐น๐๐๐ฎ๐๐๐) – โ “The living Re-Horakhty, Rejoicing in the horizon”
(๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ฑ๐ณ๐๐๐ฎ๐๐๐๐๐ณ) – โIn his name as Shu, who is in the Aten”
Also in the image๐๐ ฑ๐, Aten ๐๐๐๐ณ is extending light rays to Akhenaten ๐๐๐๐ณ๐ ๐๐ and Nefertiti ๐๐๐๐ณ๐ค๐ค๐ค๐ค๐ค๐๐๐ญ. The light rays are represented by lines, with hands ๐ง๐๐ฆ on the end that are holding Ankhs ๐น๐น๐น.
Obverse side of the limestone parapet from Amarna
This is the obverse side of the limestone ๐๐๐๐ fragment of a parapet (c. 1352-1336 B.C.E., New Kingdom Amarna Period) that depicts the pharaoh ๐๐ป Akhenaten ๐๐๐๐ณ๐ ๐๐ (left) and Nefertiti ๐๐๐๐ณ๐ค๐ค๐ค๐ค๐ค๐๐๐ญ (right).
The piece is in such poor condition because after the death ๐ ๐๐ฑ of Akhenaten ๐๐๐๐ณ๐ ๐๐, his city was abandoned and fell to disarray. This makes the hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช difficult to translate but I will try! Also, many of the buildings were destroyed by Rameses II ๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ด๐ and the materials were then used to build ๐๐ค๐ ฑ๐ด๐ง one of his temples ๐๐๐๐ฆ.
Letโs read some hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช! This is the third column from the left:
(๐๐๐๐ณ๐ ๐๐) – cartouche of Akhenaten ๐๐ป – โTrue of Voiceโ or โJustifiedโ ๐ข๐๐ณ๐ค – Lifetime ๐ – โheโ or โhisโ
โAkhenaten, true of voice, in his lifetimeโฆโ
There are many misconceptions about Hatshepsut ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช, and I want to show why they are misconceptions.
It was always said by historians that Hatshepsut ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช was โshowing herself as a maleโ or โtrying/wanting to be a man.โ These statements are just not true. Hatshepsut ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช never portrayed herself as a man ๐๐๐ค. She portrayed herself as a Pharaoh ๐๐ป, which she was! In fact, she very much referred to herself as a woman ๐๐๐๐๐. How do we know? Itโs all in the hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช!
Letโs take a look at the titles she gives herself.
The inscription reads: ๐ค๐น๐๐๐๐ฟ๐ฟ๐ณ๐ฆ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ผ๐ผ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฟ๐ธ๐๐น๐๐
๐ค๐น๐ – โPerfect goddessโ ๐๐๐ฟ๐ฟ – โLady of the Two Landsโ ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ – โMaatkareโ (Hatshepsutโs throne name) ๐๐ ๐ – Amun ๐๐ผ๐ผ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฟ – Lord of the Thrones ๐ธ๐ – Beloved ๐น๐ – May She Live! ๐ – Eternity
So the inscription reads โPerfect goddess, lady of the two lands Maatkare, Beloved of Amun, Lord of the Thrones, May She Live, For Eternity.โ
If Hatshepsut ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช was referring to herself as a man ๐๐๐ค or trying to be a man ๐๐๐ค, the inscription would read like this:
๐ค๐น ๐๐ฟ๐ฟ ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ – โPerfect god, lord of the two lands Maatkare.โ
The addition of the โ๐โ makes the words the feminine version! โ๐ – Lordโ becomes โ๐๐ – Ladyโ and โ๐น -Godโ becomes โ ๐น๐ – Goddess.โ So as you can see, Hatshepsut ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช is very much referring to herself as a woman ๐๐๐๐๐ – itโs in the hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช!
Here is the other inscription that is on the statue:
The inscription reads:๐ ญ๐๐ณ๐๐๐ก๐๐(๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช)๐๐ ๐๐ณ๐๐๐น๐ฅ๐ป๐๐น๐๐๐
๐ ญ๐๐ณ – Daughter of Ra ๐๐๐ก๐๐ – Bodily/Of Her Body (๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช) – Hatshepsutโs cartouche (birth name) ๐๐ ๐๐ณ – Amun-Ra ๐๐ – King of (feminine form of King) ๐น๐ฅ – Gods ๐ป๐ – Beloved ๐น๐๐๐ – She Live Forever (forever is usually written as โ๐โ)
Put together, the inscription reads: โBodily daughter of Ra, Hatshepsut, beloved of Amun-Ra, King of the Gods, May She Live Forever.โ
Hatshepsut ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช is very much referring to herself as a woman ๐๐๐๐๐ – itโs in the hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช! If she called herself the โSon of Raโ the inscription would look like โ๐ ญ๐ณโ instead of โ๐ ญ๐๐ณ. โ The word for โbodily ๐๐๐ก๐๐โ is also feminized, and would be written as โ๐๐๐ก๐โ if it was referencing a male. The word for โking ๐โ is also written in the feminine form and has the โ๐โ at the end (๐๐).
There was no word for โqueenโ in Middle Egyptian, the closest word that exists is โ๐๐๐๐,โ which translates to โThe Kingโs Wife.โ Hatshepsut ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช was certainly not the Kingโs Wife: she was the pharaoh ๐๐ป/king ๐๐.
This misconception needs to be squashed, because it very much erases Hatshepsutโs ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช identity ๐๐ and as we know, the name/identity ๐๐ of a person was essential to Egyptian cultural beliefs. Referring to Hatshepsut ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช as anything but how she referred to herself is an insult to her.
Whatโs in a name ๐๐?! To the ancient Egyptians ๐๐๐๐๐ช, a personโs name ๐๐ was everything!
In order to exist, a human needed to have five ๐พ essential elements: the body ๐๐๐ผ, the shadow ๐๐๐ ฑ๐ผ, the Ba ๐ ก๐ค (impression an individual makes on others – everything except the physical body), the Ka (soul/life force) ๐๐ค, and the name ๐๐. A name ๐๐ was considered the essential part of the person because the other four ๐ฝ elements could not exist without the name ๐๐. I find this entire concept absolutely fascinating and Iโm not going to lie, it has made me appreciate my own name ๐๐.
If a person wanted to survive after death ๐ ๐๐ฑ, not only was mummification essential, but even more so was preserving the name ๐๐. This is why pharaohs ๐๐ป๐ฆ and others who could afford to do so had their name ๐๐ carved everywhere – they wanted to survive after they died ๐ ๐๐ฑ. If a name ๐๐ was hacked away or forgotten, it meant that the person was deprived of their entire existence. This is why the names ๐๐๐ฅ of pharaohs ๐๐ป๐ฆ like Hatshepsut ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช, Akhenaten ๐๐๐๐ณ๐ ๐๐ and Tutankhamun ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ฑ๐๐น๐พ๐บ๐ were either left off of official Kingโs lists or removed from their monuments.
Rameses II ๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ด๐ has his name ๐๐ literally everywhere and his cartouche is the most commonly found one! He really wanted to ensure that he survived after he died ๐ ๐๐ฑ! This cartouche from the British Museum is one of Rameses II ๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ด๐ and I think it is so beautifully ๐ค carved!
My Nonno ๐๐ฏ๐๐๐ฏ๐always spoke very highly of the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology at UCL in London. As a kid ๐๐๐, he would always tell me that they had โdrawers and drawers full of ushabtisโ and it just sounded so cool to me! When we got to visit together, I can confirm that it was most definitely VERY COOL! We spent hours at the museum going through everything and I spent the most time with the ushabtis ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ๐ช (no surprise there)!!
These particular ushabtis ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ๐ช that are in the drawer are called โstick ushabtisโ by archaeologists. Stick ushabtis ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ๐ช are made of wood ๐ฑ๐๐บ, have a roughly mummiform shape, no artistic details, and have an inscription ๐๐๐ฅ on the front. Most stick ushabtis ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ๐ช are dated to the end of the 17th Dynasty to the beginning of the 18th Dynasty.
The function of these stick ushabtis ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ๐ช also seem to be different than that of the regular ushabtis ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ๐ช that are found in tombs ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ฆ whose function was to perform tasks for the deceased ๐ ๐๐ฑ in the afterlife ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐. The stick ushabtis ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ๐ช have only been found in Thebes ๐๐๐, in the above ground chapels that were found near tombs ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ฆ. They were usually placed in their own model coffins ๐ด๐ ฑ๐๐๐ฑ.
The stick ushabtis ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ๐ช represented the family members of the deceased ๐ ๐๐ฑ, and were placed in the above ground chapel as a way to symbolize family members being close to their dead ๐ ๐๐ฑ loved one.
These frog ๐๐๐๐ figures are dated to the 1st and 2nd Dynasties, which is grouped as part of the Early Dynastic Period (c. 3000-2675 B.C.E.) so these are quite old! This is about the time that Egyptologists think that writing ๐๐๐ฅ was first developed in Egypt ๐๐ ๐๐! However, this form of writing ๐๐๐ฅ consisted of very rudimentary symbols and donโt really represent Middle Egyptian or hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช, which is the form of the language that persisted throughout Egyptian history (and the one that I know).
Frogs ๐๐๐๐๐ฆ were not really written about at all during these predynastic times, and these statues ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ๐ช predate a lot of religious writing ๐๐๐ฅ and iconography so all Egyptologists can do is make educated guesses on their significance!
So what inferences can we make about these cute frog ๐๐๐๐ figures? Scientifically speaking, frogs ๐๐๐๐๐ฆ would appear after the flooding of the Nile River ๐๐๐๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐บ, so they were associated with the life ๐น/the regenerative qualities of water ๐. Not only is water ๐ necessary for humans, but also for irrigating land for agriculture.
The frog ๐๐๐๐ is also associated with the goddess ๐น๐ Heqet ๐๐๐๐ who is represented as a woman with a frog ๐๐๐๐ head. Also, the frog determinative ๐ appears in her name ๐๐ so she was clearly associated with frogs ๐๐๐๐๐ฆ. Heqet ๐๐๐๐ was the goddess ๐น๐ of birth and rebirth. She also protected ๐ ๐๐ก๐ women ๐๐๐๐๐๐ช during the childbirth process so it is possible these statues ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ๐ช could be symbols of protection ๐ ๐๐ก๐ for childbirth.
Today Iโm going to talk about fish ๐๐ ๐ because fish ๐๐ ๐ were an incredibly important part of life ๐น๐ค along the Nile River ๐๐๐๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐บ! Also, I love fish ๐๐ ๐ and watching fish ๐๐ ๐ swim ๐๐๐๐ is something I find so relaxing!
So why fish ๐๐ ๐ on New Yearโs Eve?! In ancient Egypt ๐๐ ๐๐, fish ๐๐ ๐ were seen as a symbol of rebirth and regeneration! Since the ancient Egyptian religion was primarily based on these ideas, symbols that represented them were considered important and very powerful in Egyptian culture.
One of the most common fish ๐๐ ๐ you would find in the Nile River ๐๐๐๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐บ was tilapia ๐๐๐๐๐, which is the type of fish ๐๐ ๐ that this Fish Dish (18th Dynasty c. 1479-1400 B.C.E.) depicts. Nile tilapia ๐๐๐๐๐ are easily identified by their very long dorsal fin! The tilapia even has its own hieroglyphic symbol – โ๐,โ and it definitely looks like the dish in the picture ๐๐ ฑ๐!
The first Fish Dishes have been dated to the pre-dynastic period, and they are one of the types of every day objects that have persisted throughout the Egyptian civilization. It always amazes me how such ideas and objects were able to persist for thousands of years!
Anubis ๐๐๐ช๐ ฑ๐ฃ has been my favorite god ๐น since I was a child ๐๐๐. Why is he my favorite? Here are some fun facts about Anubis ๐๐๐ช๐ ฑ๐ฃ so you can see why!
Anubis ๐๐๐ช๐ ฑ๐ฃ is the god of mummification, graveyards/cemeteries, funerals, tombs ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ฆ and a bunch of other things associated with death ๐ ๐๐ฑ. Even as a kid ๐๐๐, I was fascinated by mummies ๐๐น๐ ฑ๐พ๐ช and the process of mummification, so by default Anubis ๐๐๐ช๐ ฑ๐ฃ is my favorite!
The name ๐๐โAnubisโ is actually the Hellenistic version of his name ๐๐ – the Egyptians ๐๐๐๐๐ช called him Inpw.
Anubis ๐๐๐ช๐ ฑ๐ฃ is usually represented by the jackal ๐๐ฟ๐๐ฅ or having the head ๐ถ๐ค of a jackal ๐๐ฟ๐๐ฅ because these canines were often found in cemeteries.
Anubis ๐๐๐ช๐ ฑ๐ฃ has no temples ๐๐๐๐ฆ dedicated to him because every tomb/cemetery was considered a โtempleโ to Anubis ๐๐๐ช๐ ฑ๐ฃ!
Anubis ๐๐๐ช๐ ฑ๐ฃ can be written a bunch of different ways in hieroglyphs: ๐๐๐ช๐ ฑ๐ข, ๐๐๐ช๐ ฑ๐ฃ, ๐ฃ.
Here are some titles that Anubis ๐๐๐ช๐ ฑ๐ฃ is commonly associated with. His name ๐๐ appears with these a lot in hieroglyphic inscriptions: ๐ถ๐บ๐ ๐ – โUpon his hillโ ๐ ๐น ๐ฑ – โIn front at the Godโs boothโ (shrine) ๐๐ถ๐ ฑ๐๐๐ – โHe who is in the mummy wrappingsโ
