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Shawabty
Egyptian
Third Intermediate Period, Dynasty 21–24
1070–712 B.C.
Findspot: Egypt, Giza, near G 7120
Medium/Technique
Faience
Dimensions
Overall: 4 cm (1 9/16 in.)
Credit Line
Harvard University—Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition
Accession Number25.5272
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsAncient Egypt, Nubia and the Near East
ClassificationsTomb equipment – Shawabties and shawabty boxes
DescriptionThis is a lower torso and foot fragment of a Third Intermediate Period style shawabty. The fragmentary text is written in black in one vertical column down the front of the figure.
An ancient Egyptian shawabty is a funerary figurine that was intended to magically animate in the Afterlife in order to act as a proxy for the deceased when called upon to tend to field labor or other tasks. This expressed purpose was sometimes written on the shawabty itself in the form of a "Shawabty Spell," of which versions of various length are known. Shorter shawabty inscriptions could also just identify the deceased by name and, when applicable, title(s). However, many shawabtys carry no text at all. The ideal number of such figurines to include in a tomb or burial seems to have varied during different time periods.
An ancient Egyptian shawabty is a funerary figurine that was intended to magically animate in the Afterlife in order to act as a proxy for the deceased when called upon to tend to field labor or other tasks. This expressed purpose was sometimes written on the shawabty itself in the form of a "Shawabty Spell," of which versions of various length are known. Shorter shawabty inscriptions could also just identify the deceased by name and, when applicable, title(s). However, many shawabtys carry no text at all. The ideal number of such figurines to include in a tomb or burial seems to have varied during different time periods.
InscriptionspA-Hm-nTr, mr xrp Hmw sm
ProvenanceFrom Giza, near G7120. 1924 : excavated by the Harvard University–Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition; assigned to the MFA in the division of finds by the government of Egypt.