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)!
One of the reasons I find ushabti ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ figures so fascinating is because they come in many different styles and can be made from many different types of materials. 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. The faience ๐ฃ๐๐๐ธ๐ผ ushabti ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ figures can come in all different colors: blue ๐๐น๐๐ฟ๐ธ๐ฅ, red ๐ง๐๐๐ , green ๐ ๐ฟ๐๐, blue-green ๐ ๐๐, white ๐๐๐ณ and others!
I love how this display at the British Museum shows many different styles/colors of ushabtis ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ!
There are two ๐ป ways to write ushabti in hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช:
๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ – ลกwbtj – the earlier word that was used in Egypt. ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ – wลกbtj – the โnewerโ form of the word. This is where the Egyptological term of โushabtiโ or โshabtiโ (both are correct terms to use) originated from!
So which version of the word do I use in my posts? Both! I like to mix it up! โ ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พโ seems to be the version preferred by Allen, while โ ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พโ seems to be more used by Budge and other earlier hieroglyphic dictionaries. I think itโs important to be able to recognize both versions for translation purposes! In English, my Nonno always said โushabtiโ so I always use it! I will rarely say/use โshabti.โ
This group of blue ๐๐น๐๐ฟ๐ธ๐ฅ glazed faience ๐ฃ๐๐๐ธ๐ผ ushabti ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ (or shabti) figures belonged to different โHigh Priests of Amun ๐น๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ณโ and their families. These ushabtis ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ were found in the Royal Cache at Deir el-Bahri and are dated to the 21-22 Dynasties (1070-925 B.C.E.).
The โHigh Priest of Amun ๐น๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ณโ was the top ranking priest ๐น๐ in the priesthood of the god ๐น Amun ๐๐ ๐. The High Priests of Amun ๐น๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ณ first appeared during the 18th Dynasty of the New Kingdom and gained a lot of power under Hatshepsut ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช and Thutmosis III ๐ณ๐ ๐ฃ. The Theban high priest was usually appointed by the pharaoh ๐๐ป. However, their power was curtailed when Akhenaten ๐๐๐๐ณ๐ ๐๐ came to the throne and changed the polytheistic Egyptian religion to the monotheistic worship ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ข of the Aten ๐๐๐๐ณ.
Though not officially pharaohs ๐๐ป๐ฆ themselves, The High Priests of Amun ๐น๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ณ during the 21st Dynasty were unofficial rulers of Upper Egypt ๐. Their names ๐๐๐ฆ even appeared in cartouches and they were buried in royal tombs ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ฆ. This partially explains why these particular ushabti ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ figures have the craftsmanship that would usually be reserved for royalty.
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.
Here are a couple of limestone ๐๐๐๐ ushabti ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ figures that belonged to three ๐ผ different officials who served during the reign of Rameses II. While faience ๐ฃ๐๐๐ธ๐ผ ushabti ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ figures are the most commonly found (because they are easier to mass produce and there needed to be 300+ of them in a tomb), limestone ๐๐๐๐ ushabti ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ figures are not a rare find from New Kingdom burials. I love how most of these still contain some original paint – the black ๐๐ paint around the eyes ๐น๐ฆ is in stark contrast to the white ๐๐๐ณ limestone ๐๐๐๐ and it looks so cool!
These ushabti ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ figures all have inscriptions ๐๐๐ฅ on them. The purpose of the inscription ๐๐๐ฅ was to guide the ushabti ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ on its role in serving the deceased ๐ ๐๐ฑ in the afterlife ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐! All of these contain spells mentioning the god ๐น Osiris ๐น๐จ๐ญ, which is common because Osirisโ ๐น๐จ๐ญ realm was the Duat ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ (afterlife).
Fun Fact! There are two ๐ป ways to write ushabti in hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช:
๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ – ลกwbtj – the earlier word that was used in Egypt. ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ – wลกbtj – the โnewerโ form of the word. This is where the Egyptological term of โushabtiโ or โshabtiโ (both are correct terms to use) originated from!
This is a Wooden ๐ฑ๐๐บ Ushabti ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ of Rameses II ๐ณ๐๐ง๐ณ๐๐ (New Kingdom, 19th Dynasty, c. 1292-1190 B.C.E.).
Rameses II ๐ณ๐๐ง๐ณ๐๐ was arguably one of Egyptโs ๐๐ ๐๐ greatest builders, and his face/cartouche can be found pretty much everywhere you look in a museum (this is why his cartouches are good to learn – you will see them a lot).
Rameses IIโs ๐ณ๐๐ง๐ณ๐๐ tomb ๐๐ซ๐๐ was plundered in the 20th Dynasty, and only three ๐ผ of his wooden ushabti ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ figures remain! In 1049 B.C.E., the High Priest of Amun ordered Rameses IIโs ๐ณ๐๐ง๐ณ๐๐ mummy ๐๐น๐ ฑ๐พ be moved from his original tomb ๐๐ซ๐๐ and to the Royal Cache, a place where many royal ๐พ mummies ๐๐น๐ ฑ๐พ๐ช were re-buried in order to protect the mummies ๐๐น๐ ฑ๐พ๐ช from tomb robbers.
While the provenance of this ushabti ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ is unknown, it is assumed that it was originally from Rameses IIโs ๐ณ๐๐ง๐ณ๐๐ original tomb ๐๐ซ๐๐ (KV 7).
The text ๐๐๐ฅ on the ushabti ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ is a version of the โShabti Spellโ from Chapter 6 of the Book of the Dead. This spell gives the ushabti ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ the power to complete tasks (farming, manual labor, etc) for the deceased ๐ ๐๐ฑ in the Field of Reeds ๐๐๐ ๐๐ฟ๐๐ ฑ๐ฐ๐.
I love ushabtis ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ๐ช and so did my Nonno (we have so many pictures ๐๐ ฑ๐๐ฆ of them)! During the Ramesside period and onward, due to the increasing number of ushabti ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ figures that people were buried with, the Egyptians ๐๐๐๐๐ช started putting them in boxes! Like the example in the picture ๐๐ ฑ๐, the Ushabti Boxes were used to hold hundreds of ushabti ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ figures for the deceased ๐ ๐๐ฑ.
Much like sarcophagi, ushabti ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ boxes usually look different for different people! Some were only single compartment, but some ushabti ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ boxes could have up to three ๐ผ compartments full of the figures! Some were elaborately decorated, but this one is just a plain wooden ๐ฑ๐๐บ rectangular box with six ๐ฟ columns of hieroglyphic text ๐๐๐ฅ on the front. Unfortunately due to the angle of the picture ๐๐ ฑ๐, I canโt translate the text – but I can see the Offering Formula (๐๐๐ต๐) on the first column on the right! I can also see that some of the ushabtis ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ๐ช have a dedication to Osiris ๐น๐จ๐ญ on them!
Usually people were buried with over 400 ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฒ of the figures – one for each day of the year. Fun Fact: the ancient Egyptians ๐๐๐๐๐ช had calculated the year to be 365 ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐พ days, and then they revised it to 365.25 days – which is the actual length modern scientists calculated! How incredible is that?!
The ushabtis ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ๐ช that you see in this box are worker ushabtis ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ๐ช and you can tell because they are holding tools (๐บ) in their hands ๐๐ฆ! The remaining overseers ushabtis ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ๐ช were there to make sure all of the others were doing their work!
My Nonnoโs favorite non-Royal ancient Egyptian has always been Paser ๐ ฎ๐๐ฝ. While I have seen Paserโs ๐ ฎ๐๐ฝ ushabtis ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ in other museums, it was always so difficult to find the one that is at the MET because it is hidden amongst other ushabtis ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ in one of the smaller galleries! But yesterday I FINALLY saw it! I was so excited because Paser ๐ ฎ๐๐ฝ meant so much to my Nonno!!
Nicole (me) with Paser’s ushabti!
The blue ๐๐น๐๐ฟ๐ธ๐ฅ faience ๐ฃ๐๐๐ธ๐ผ ushabti ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ belongs to Paser ๐ ฎ๐๐ฝ! Objects made of faience ๐ฃ๐๐๐ธ๐ผ were thought to hold magical ๐๐๐ฟ๐ powers! The ushabtis ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ served as substitutes for the deceased ๐ ๐๐ฑ and would perform labor or jobs for them in the afterlife ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐. They are usually inscribed with spells which are specific to a certain task!
Paser ๐ ฎ๐๐ฝ was one of the most prominent men of his time and he served under two ๐ป pharaohs ๐๐ป – Seti I ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ and then Rameses II ๐ณ๐๐ง๐ณ๐๐. Paser ๐ ฎ๐๐ฝ served many different roles over twenty-five ๐๐๐พ years! He was vizier ๐ ท๐๐บ๐ and one of his most famous works is the tomb ๐๐ซ๐๐ of Seti I ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ in the Valley of the Kings! A vizier ๐ ท๐๐บ๐ was the highest ranking official ๐ด๐๐ and was the most powerful position in the government, besides the pharaoh ๐๐ป.
Not only was the vizier ๐ ท๐๐บ๐ the most trusted advisor to the pharaoh ๐๐ป, but he also saw to the day-to-day operations of the government. The vizier ๐ ท๐๐บ๐ was in charge of architecture, taxation, agriculture, military, judicial, financial, and many other things. Honestly that sounds exhausting ๐!
Paser ๐ ฎ๐๐ฝ had many different titles, including โHigh Preist of Amun,โ โsuperintendent of every work of the king,โ and โchief of secrets of the hieroglyphs.โ
Whenever I am in a museum, I take so many pictures of the different ushabtis ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ๐ช that are on display! There are so many different types, and each type is beautiful ๐ค in its own way!
These particular ushabtis ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ๐ช that are 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.
Instead of being a worker for the deceased ๐ ๐๐ฑ, stick ushabtis ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ๐ช represented the family ๐ ๐๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ฆ members of the deceased ๐ ๐๐ฑ, and were placed in the above ground chapel as a way to symbolize family ๐ ๐๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ฆ members being close to their dead ๐ ๐๐ฑ loved one.
The stick ushabtis ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ๐ช were usually placed in their own model coffins ๐ด๐ ฑ๐๐๐ฑ๐ฆ, just like in the first picture ๐๐ ฑ๐! I always liked the model coffins ๐ด๐ ฑ๐๐๐ฑ๐ฆ, because I love tiny things! As a kid, the ushabtis ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ๐ช reminded me of dolls, and how cool is it to have a doll-sized ancient Egyptian coffin ๐ด๐ ฑ๐๐๐ฑ!!!
There are over 200 ๐ฒ๐ฒ ushabti ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ figures that belonged to Akhenaten ๐๐๐๐ณ๐ ๐๐. It seems strange that Akhenaten ๐๐๐๐ณ๐ ๐๐ would be buried with ushabtis ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ๐ช because he completely changed the Egyptian religion from the traditional polytheistic worship ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ข to the monotheistic worship ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ข of the Aten ๐๐๐๐ณ. This shows that while he did completely change Egyptโs ๐๐ ๐๐ religion, some aspects of the old religion, such as belief in the afterlife ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐, did remain and persist throughout his rule ๐พ.
While most ushabtis ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ๐ช contain standard inscriptions ๐๐๐ฅ known as the โshabti spellโ or โshabti text,โ Akhenatenโs ๐๐๐๐ณ๐ ๐๐ ushabtis ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ๐ช only contain inscriptions ๐๐๐ฅ of his name ๐๐ and titles. This would make sense, since the โshabti spellsโ would be part of the traditional religion, and not the new one. Most of Akhenatenโs ๐๐๐๐ณ๐ ๐๐ ushabtis ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ๐ช are in various states of disarray, so this particular piece pictured ๐๐ ฑ๐ does not have any visible inscriptions ๐๐๐ฅ.
I love how blue ๐๐น๐๐ฟ๐ธ๐ฅ this ushabti ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ is! Iโve seen many of Akhenatenโs ๐๐๐๐ณ๐ ๐๐ ushabtis ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ๐ช in museums around the world, and this one is my favorite because of the color! Akhenatenโs ๐๐๐๐ณ๐ ๐๐ ushabtis ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ๐ช were probably made in different workshops throughout his reign, which is why there are so many different variations instead of a singular and uniform style.
I also love how the Ankhs ๐น๐น in his hands ๐ง๐๐ฆ are white ๐๐๐ณ and stand out against the blue ๐๐น๐๐ฟ๐ธ๐ฅ faience ๐ฃ๐๐๐ธ๐ผ. The ushabti ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ also shows the traditional Amarna-era artistic style that is seen on most of the work from this time period.
Another example of Akhenaten’s ushabtis at the MET
Most of Akhenatenโs ๐๐๐๐ณ๐ ๐๐ ushabtis ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ๐ช are in various states of disarray, only one of these pieces has part of an inscription ๐๐๐ฅ on it! While most ushabtis ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ๐ช contain standard inscriptions ๐๐๐ฅ known as the โshabti spellโ or โshabti text,โ Akhenatenโs ๐๐๐๐ณ๐ ๐๐ ushabtis ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ๐ช only contain inscriptions ๐๐๐ฅ of his name ๐๐ and titles. Letโs take a look at the partial inscription ๐๐๐ฅ!
You can see the inscription of โ๐ฅ,โ which as we have learned previously can translate to โHe of the Sedge and the Beeโ or โKing of Upper and Lower Egypt.โ As we know, this is a very popular title to be seen before a cartouche!
The โ๐ณโ in the cartouche is probably part of one of Akhenatenโs ๐๐๐๐ณ๐ ๐๐ throne names, which would most likely be โ๐ณ๐ค๐ฃ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ก๐,โ since that is the only one of Akhenatenโs ๐๐๐๐ณ๐ ๐๐ name ๐๐ variants that begins with a โ๐ณ.โ
Even though ๐ณ๐ค๐ฃ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ก๐ translates to โThe Beautiful One of the Manifestations of Ra, the Unique one of Ra,โ this variant was only seen after the name ๐๐ change from Amenhotep IV ๐๐ ๐๐ต๐น๐พ๐ to Akhenaten ๐๐๐๐ณ๐ ๐๐!
As I stated previously, Akhenatenโs ๐๐๐๐ณ๐ ๐๐ ushabtis ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ๐ช were probably made in different workshops throughout his reign, which is why there are so many different variations instead of a singular and uniform style. This picture shows a couple of the styles of ushabti ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ . While all of the ushabtis ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ๐ช look different, they all show the traditional Amarna-era artistic style that is seen on most of the work from this time period.
