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.