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Shawabty

Egyptian
Late Period, Dynasty 26–30
664–332 B.C.
Findspot: Egypt, Giza, Street G 7700 E of mastaba G 7754

Medium/Technique Faience
Dimensions Overall: 5.7 cm (2 1/4 in.)
Credit Line Harvard University—Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition
Accession Number30.1727
NOT ON VIEW

DescriptionThis is a torso fragment of a shawabty which dates to the Late Period. There are two framed incised columns on the front.

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 lengths 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.

This shawabti is inscribed with two vertical lines, now illegible, most likely containing the deceased's titles, name, and mother's name.
ProvenanceFrom Giza, Street G 7700 E of mastaba G 7754. 1929: 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.