Ushabti Box of Yuya

Let’s read some hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪! 

This picture 𓏏𓅱𓏏 is of the ushabti box (and one of the ushabti 𓅱𓈙𓃀𓏏𓏭𓀾 figures) of a man 𓊃𓀀𓏤 named Yuya 𓇌𓅱𓇋𓄿𓀼. The purpose of the ushabit box was to store the ushabti 𓅱𓈙𓃀𓏏𓏭𓀾 figures of the deceased 𓅓𓏏𓏱 person. Since people who could afford it were buried with over 365 ushabti 𓅱𓈙𓃀𓏏𓏭𓀾 figures, the Egyptians 𓆎𓏏𓀀𓁐𓏪 needed a place to store them in the tombs 𓇋𓐫𓊃𓉐𓏦 so the ushabtis 𓅱𓈙𓃀𓏏𓏭𓀾 wouldn’t be all over the place!

Although Yuya 𓇌𓅱𓇋𓄿𓀼 and his wife 𓂑𓏏𓁐 Thuya 𓍿𓅱𓇋𓅱 were not of royal lineage, their daughter 𓅭𓏏 Tiye 𓍘𓇌𓏭𓁗 became the “King’s Great Wife 𓇓𓈞𓏏,” (queen) of the pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 Amenhotep III 𓇳𓁧𓎠. 

This part of the 18th Dynasty when when all of the “fun” began! Yuya 𓇌𓅱𓇋𓄿𓀼 and Thuya 𓍿𓅱𓇋𓅱 were Akhenaten’s 𓇋𓏏𓈖𓇳𓅜𓐍𓈖 grandparents and Tutankhamun’s 𓇋𓏠𓈖𓏏𓅱𓏏𓋹𓋾𓉺𓇓 great-parents! Due to their daughter’s 𓅭𓏏 status, Yuya 𓇌𓅱𓇋𓄿𓀼 and Thuya 𓍿𓅱𓇋𓅱 were given an elaborate burial in the area that is now known as the Valley of the Kings (KV46). 

This ushabti box is made of wood 𓆱𓏏𓏺 that has been beautifully 𓄤𓆑𓂋 painted 𓏞𓏜 and inscribed 𓎘𓅱𓎖 with hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪.

Let’s take a closer look at the inscription 𓏟𓏛𓏥 on the ushabti box! 

𓄪𓐍𓇌 – Venerated

𓐍𓂋 – Before 

𓁹𓊨𓀭 – Osiris

𓎿𓇌 – Favored One/Praised One

𓈖 – of

𓊹𓄤 – The Perfect God 

𓇌𓅱𓇋𓄿𓀼 – Yuya 

𓐙𓊤 – True of Voice (Justified)

𓐍𓂋 – Before

𓊹𓉼 – Great God

The hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪 that appear on this ushabti box are very typical of funerary inscriptions 𓏟𓏛𓏥 that appear on many different kinds of funerary equipment 𓈎𓂋𓋴𓏏𓏏𓊭 throughout Egyptian history.

This ushabti box is from the 18th Dynasty and is dated to c. 1390–1352 B.C.E. The ushabti 𓅱𓈙𓃀𓏏𓏭𓀾 figure in this picture 𓏏𓅱𓏏 also belongs to Yuya 𓇌𓅱𓇋𓄿𓀼! The ushabti 𓅱𓈙𓃀𓏏𓏭𓀾 is inscribed with the “Shabti Spell,” which is the magic spell 𓎛𓂓𓏛 which makes the ushabti 𓅱𓈙𓃀𓏏𓏭𓀾 figure come alive to perform a specific task for the deceased 𓅓𓏏𓏱 in the Afterlife 𓇼𓄿𓏏𓉐!