Ancient ushabti figure

Description:	Shabtis, also called shwabtis or ushabtis, were placed in ancient Egyptian burials from the Middle Kingdom (between about 4000 and 3500 years ago) until the Ptolemaic Period (around 2300 years ago), when the practice died out. They are small funerary figurines that were placed in tombs, sometimes by the hundreds, to act as servants to deceased individuals who had been wealthy in life. They appear as miniature mummies, however, their hands remain free to enable them to work. Equipped to do menial work for the deceased in the next world, they usually hold agricultural implements and accessories such as hoes, seedbags, or baskets for harvesting. Shabtis were made of many materials—wax, wood, clay, stone and metal—but, most commonly, of faience (glazed melded quartz) and ranged in size from a few inches to more than a foot. Most were inscribed with hieroglyphs stating the name of the deceased, their purpose in the afterlife and/or text from the Book of the Dead
Source:	http://www.digitalindy.org/cdm/ref/collection/tcm/id/563
Collection:	The Children's Museum of Indianapolis
Rights:	https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/;
Copyright:	Creative Commons (CC By-SA 3.0);
Geography:	Egypt
Subjects:	Egypt -- Social life and customs -- To 332 B.C. Egypt -- Civilization -- To 332 B.C. Egypt -- Antiquities Ushabti

Further information on this record can be found at its source.