Uschepti | Uschebti

The tombs of the wealthy were richly furnished with everyday objects and items of religious worship. In the imagination of the ancient Egyptians, life after death meant a continuation of earthly existence. There, too, one had to provide for one's livelihood and could be called upon to perform corvée duties. The rich knew how to avoid this duty: they were given models depicting everyday tasks, such as milling flour, brewing beer or baking bread, and "servant figurines" to take with them to the grave. These figurines, called shabti, were a kind of substitute, who were charged with performing the heavy or onerous work. A possible rendering of the word shabti is "answerer", because these figurines were believed to answer their deceased master’s call to perform onerous duties in the afterlife. Shabtis are made from a variety of materials, but mainly of blue or green-blue faïence. The figurines are generally mummiform. They often carry tools for work in the field, such as a hand plough and hoe, as well as a bag containing seeds. Their number per grave is variable. Ideally, a deceased person has one figure for each day of the year plus 36 "overseers" and one "chief overseer". The figurine on display is a shabti belonging to a certain Lady Amunmerit, who was buried in West Thebes. Her sarcophagus is now in Cairo, her shabtis are scattered all over the world. Author: Eva Gerhards, Translation: Timothy Connell