More ushabtis!!!! Most ushabti ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ figures are made of faience ๐ฃ๐๐๐ธ๐ผ, but can also be made out of wood, limestone ๐๐๐๐, calcite, terracotta and more rarely, bronze ๐๐ค๐๐ฆ. Today Iโm going to talk about bronze ๐๐ค๐๐ฆ ushabti ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ figures!
It is pretty rare to find bronze ๐๐ค๐๐ฆ ushabti ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ figures and there are not too many instances of archaeologists finding bronze ๐๐ค๐๐ฆ ones in tombs ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ฅ. Before the discovery of the royal tombs ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ฅ at Tanis ๐๐๐๐๐, only six ๐ฟ bronze ๐๐ค๐๐ฆ ushabti ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ figures had been found. One ๐บ was for the pharaoh Rameses II ๐๐ ๐๐๐ณ๐บ๐๐ด๐, and five ๐พ were for Rameses III ๐ณ๐๐ง๐๐๐ ๐.
The pharaoh ๐๐ป Psusennes I ๐๐ ๐๐ป๐ ฎ๐ผ๐๐๐ of the 21st Dynasty (c. 1000 B.C.E.) had many bronze ๐๐ค๐๐ฆ ushabti ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ figures made. The bronze ๐๐ค๐๐ฆ ushabtis ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ are in similar style to the โregularโ types of ushabti ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ figures made with more popular materials. They are mummiform, with the arms crossed on the chest with an inscription on the front. Psusennesโ ๐๐ ๐๐ป๐ ฎ๐ผ๐๐๐ ushabti ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ figures are distributed in museums around the world and are highly valued pieces despite their modest appearance!
Unrelated, but I love Psusennes Iโs ๐๐ ๐๐ป๐ ฎ๐ผ๐๐๐ name ๐๐! It translates to โ The star who has appeared in Nut, beloved of Amun.โ Sometimes, Nut ๐๐๐ is taken to mean โThebesโ in royal titularly. Nut ๐๐๐ฏ๐ญ is the goddess ๐น๐ of the sky ๐ช๐๐ฏ! Nut can be written as โ๐๐๐โ or โ๐๐๐ฏ๐ญโ (and there are other variations as well)!