Ushabti of Rameses II

Rameses II 𓇳𓄊𓁧𓇳𓍉𓈖 was arguably one of Egypt’s 𓆎𓅓𓏏𓊖 greatest builders, and his face/name 𓂋𓈖 can be found pretty much everywhere you look in a museum (this is why his cartouches 𓏠𓈖𓈙𓍷𓏦 are good to learn – you will see them a lot). 

This beautiful 𓄤𓆑𓂋 piece is a Wooden 𓆱𓏏𓏺 Ushabti 𓆷𓄿𓍯𓃀𓏏𓏮𓀾 of Rameses II 𓇳𓄊𓁧𓇳𓍉𓈖 (New Kingdom, 19th Dynasty, c. 1292-1190 B.C.E.). While the provenance of this ushabti 𓆷𓄿𓍯𓃀𓏏𓏮𓀾 is unknown, it is assumed that it was originally from Rameses II’s 𓇳𓄊𓁧𓇳𓍉𓈖 original tomb 𓇋𓐫𓊃𓉐 (KV 7). 

Rameses II’s 𓇳𓄊𓁧𓇳𓍉𓈖 tomb 𓇋𓐫𓊃𓉐 was plundered in the 20th Dynasty, and only three 𓏼 of his wooden 𓆱𓏏𓏺 ushabti 𓆷𓄿𓍯𓃀𓏏𓏮𓀾 figures remain! Tomb 𓇋𓐫𓊃𓉐 robbing during ancient Egyptian times was a huge problem even though the tombs 𓇋𓐫𓊃𓉐𓏥 were “hidden” in the Valley of the Kings! 

In 1049 B.C.E., the High Priest of Amun ordered Rameses II’s 𓇳𓄊𓁧𓇳𓍉𓈖 mummy 𓇋𓁹𓅱𓀾 be moved from his original tomb 𓇋𓐫𓊃𓉐 and to the Royal Cache, a place where many royal 𓋾 mummies 𓇋𓁹𓅱𓀾𓏪 were re-buried in order to protect the mummies 𓇋𓁹𓅱𓀾𓏪 from tomb robbers. 

The text 𓏟𓏛𓏥 on the ushabti 𓆷𓄿𓍯𓃀𓏏𓏮𓀾 is a version of the “Shabti Spell” from Chapter 6 of the Book of the Dead. This spell 𓎛𓂓𓏛 gives the ushabti 𓆷𓄿𓍯𓃀𓏏𓏮𓀾 the power to complete tasks (farming, manual labor, etc) for the deceased 𓅓𓏏𓏱 in the Field of Reeds 𓇏𓏏𓈅𓇋𓄿𓂋𓅱𓆰𓊖. I love how detailed the hieroglyphs are! 

This ushabti 𓆷𓄿𓍯𓃀𓏏𓏮𓀾 has a lot of mummiform details; it is wearing the nemes 𓈖𓅓𓋴 head cloth and there is an intact Uraeus 𓇋𓂝𓂋𓏏𓆗 on his forehead. Like Osiris 𓁹𓊨𓀭, it is wearing a broad collar 𓅱𓋴𓐍𓎺𓋝, and is holding the crook 𓋾 and flail 𓌅. 

This is my personal photograph and original text. DO NOT repost without permission.