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Servants for the Afterlife |
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In Ancient Egyptian burial it was important that the deceased
had a workforce to carry out their every day tasks in the underworld
so they would not have to dirty their hands. Originally in high
ranking Old Kingdom burials servants were buried with their masters.
It is not known if these were sacrifices, or people honored with
a resting place beside their King when they died.
This practice died out in later periods and a magical substitute
for the servants were included.These included wooden
models and stone, wood or faience 'Shabti' figures. It was
thought that magic spells would enable these models to come to
life and serve the wishes of the deceased. |
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Shabti figures provided a workforce for use in the afterlife.
Some burials contained several hundred figures, often equipped
with tools for working the fields. Typically 'Overseer' shabtis
were also included to keep the magical workforce in check.
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Spell 6 of 'The Book Of The Dead' instructs the Shabti
as follows...
O Shabti,If 'the deceased' be summoned
To do any work which has to be done in the realm if the dead
To make arable the fields,
to irrigate the land
or to convey sand from East to West;
"Here I Am", you shall say,"I Shall Do It". |
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The tomb of Tutankhamun contained
dozens of Shabti figure, varying greatly is size and detail.
The examples shown here are in the Luxor
Museum, but in Cairo there are large cabinets containing
row after row of these figures.
Many of the Tutankhamun shabtis appear to have different facial
features, perhaps adding strength to the theory that the burial
provisions were put together from various sources including components
intended for someone else, possibly Smenkhkare |
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Wooden models were included to provide the deceased with provisions
in the afterlife. These models typically included butchers, bakers,
brewers, boats, livestock and concubines. Many of these survive
today. The Royal Museum of Scotland have a complete set of models
from the tomb of a lady called Mertetes. |
The Ancient Egyptian Book Of The Dead
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