Ushabtis of Seti I – Ushabti Friends

As part of my “Ushabti Friends” series, I am teaching you how to look at the different characteristics of ushabtis 𓅱𓈙𓃀𓏏𓏭𓀾 to show how unique and wonderful these pieces are! Today 𓏇𓇋𓈖𓇳 we are going to look at the ushabtis of the 19th Dynasty pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 Seti I 𓇳𓁦𓏠! 

Pharaoh Seti I 𓇳𓁦𓏠 had an estimated  1000+ ushabtis 𓅱𓈙𓃀𓏏𓏭𓀾𓏪, however, only about 700 remain! Most of Seti I’s 𓇳𓁦𓏠 ushabtis 𓅱𓈙𓃀𓏏𓏭𓀾𓏪 were wood 𓆱𓏏𓏺 and when Giovanni Belzoni discovered Seti I’s tomb 𓇋𓐫𓊃𓉐 in the Valley of the Kings in 1917, he used a lot of the wooden 𓆱𓏏𓏺 ushabtis 𓅱𓈙𓃀𓏏𓏭𓀾𓏪 as torches (this fact still haunts me – it was also one of my Nonno’s favorite stories to tell). Anytime Seti I came up in conversation my Nonno would say “can you believe some idiots used his ushabtis as torches??!!”

Besides the tragic wooden 𓆱𓏏𓏺 ushabtis, Seti I 𓊪𓏏𓎛𓁣𓇌𓌸𓈖 had many faience 𓋣𓈖𓏏𓏸𓏼 ushabtis 𓅱𓈙𓃀𓏏𓏭𓀾𓏪. His faience 𓋣𓈖𓏏𓏸𓏼 ushabtis 𓅱𓈙𓃀𓏏𓏭𓀾𓏪 are such a beautiful 𓄤 blue 𓇋𓁹𓏏𓄿𓏸𓏥 color and are inscribed with the Shabti Spell in hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪.

Some of the wooden 𓆱𓏏𓏺 ushabtis 𓅱𓈙𓃀𓏏𓏭𓀾𓏪 contain hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪 as well, however, the hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪 are better preserved on some pieces better than others because wood 𓆱𓏏𓏺 will naturally deteriorate over time due to the nature of the organic materials. 

So how can we tell these are ushabtis of Seti I from the 19th Dynasty? 

1. The ushabtis were found in his tomb in the Valley of the Kings
2. The ushabtis are inscribed with his throne name (𓇳𓁦𓏠) and birth name (𓊪𓏏𓎛𓁣𓇌𓌸𓈖).
3. The ushabtis have characteristics of the 19th dynasty such as the faience ushabtis which are holding a hoe in each hand 𓌸 (typical of 18th-25th dynasties)

This is my personal photograph and original text. DO NOT repost. 

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