Letโs look at some ushabti ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ figures! Gallery 126 at the MET has lot of ushabtis ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ on display and I LOVE being in this room!
These ushabti ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ figures and shabti boxes belong to a woman ๐๐๐๐๐ named Nauny, who lived during the 21st Dynasty reign of the pharaoh ๐๐ป Psusennes I ๐๐ ๐๐ป๐ ฎ๐ผ๐๐๐.ย
Nauny was buried with a total of 393 ushabti ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ figures that were divided amongst seven ๐ shabti boxes. The shabti boxes are made of sycamore ๐๐๐๐ญ wood ๐ฑ๐๐บ and painted ๐๐ with stucco. As demonstrated in the picture ๐๐ ฑ๐ below, the ushabtis ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ๐ช are stored in an upright position in the box!ย
The ushabti figures ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ that Nauny was buried with are made of blue ๐๐น๐๐ฟ๐ธ๐ฅ faience ๐ฃ๐๐๐ธ๐ผ and have featured and inscriptions ๐๐๐ฅ on them that are painted ๐๐ with black ๐๐ paint ๐จ๐๐ ฑ๐ญ๐ธ๐ฆ. The inscription ๐๐๐ฅ on the front (and back) of the ushabtis ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ๐ช reads:
๐ด๐๐๐ถ – The Illuminated One
๐ฉ๐น – The Osiris
๐๐ ญ๐ – The Kingโs daughter
๐๐ฟ๐๐๐ – Nauny
๐๐ค – True of Voice
โThe Osiris ๐ฉ๐นโ part of the inscription means that Nauny, through the process of mummification ๐ด๐ง๐๐ ฑ๐, becomes ๐ฃ like the god ๐น Osiris ๐ฉ๐น who is the main god ๐น of the dead. This means that Nauny will live on in the Duat ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ (afterlife) just like Osiris ๐ฉ๐น has!
There are two ๐ป different types of ushabtis ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ๐ช in the picture ๐๐ ฑ๐: worker ushabtis and overseer ushabtis! Nauny originally had a total of 365 worker ushabtis, one for each day ๐๐๐บ๐ณ of the year. The worker ushabtis are identified by having the inscription on the front! The overseer ushabtis had the job of making sure that the worker ushabtis ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ๐ช were doing their job! The overseer ushabtis ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ๐ช can be identified by the long kilt that they are wearing, and their inscription is located on the back!