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View: Obverse
Shawabty of Pakherer child of Ankhesenitef
Egyptian
Late Period, Dynasty 26–30
664–332 B.C.
Findspot: Egypt, Giza, debris of st between mastabas G 7510 and G 7520
Medium/Technique
Faience
Dimensions
Overall: 3.4 cm (1 5/16 in.)
Credit Line
Harvard University—Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition
Accession Number27.2234
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsAncient Egypt, Nubia and the Near East
ClassificationsTomb equipment – Shawabties and shawabty boxes
DescriptionThis shawabty is inscribed for Pakherer born of Ankhesentef.This is a lower legs, feet and base fragment of a shawabty which dates to the Late Period. The typology of this period consists of a tripartite wig, long beard, back pillar and base, with the figure holding the pick on the right shoulder and hoe and cord to a small seed bag on the left. There are 5 horizontal lines of incised text encircling the body, ending at the back pillar. There is also a column of incised text on the back pillar. There are 3 incised lines representing hieroglyphs, on the front of the base and two signs underneath the base. This shawabty is cracked and chipped.
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.
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.
ProvenanceFrom Giza, debris of street between mastabas G 7510 and G 7520. 1927: 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.