Shabti (front)

A shabti is a model of a servant, buried with an ancient Egyptian in order to perform menial tasks in the Afterlife on behalf of the deceased. This example of faience was found at Hawara in Egypt. It dates from the Late Period (between 664 and 337 BC).

The well-preserved shabti is in the form of a mummy, wearing a long beard and a striped lappet wig. He carries a pick and hoe and basket over the left shoulder. The hieroglyphic inscription records the name of Dja, Priest of Neith.

Egyptian hieroglyphs were pictures representing objects or sounds. They were sacred symbols, and closely linked to religion. Complicated and difficult to write, different scripts were developed over time for legal and administrative writing and for daily use.

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Online ID:	000-100-104-560-C
Image Rights Holder:	National Museums Scotland
Project:	0098: National Museums Scotland Project description \| View all records in project
Ref:	National Museums Scotland A.1965.41
Date:	Late Period Late Period (between 664 and 337 BC)
Material:
Dimensions:	10.50" H
What:	Shabti
Subject:	Shabtis
Who:	Dja, Priest of Neith Petrie (Excavator)
Where:	Ancient Egypt, Hawara
Event:
Description:	Mummiform shabti in faience faded to a mottled cream colour, inscribed with the name Dja, Priest of Neith: Ancient Egyptian, from Hawara, Late Period
References:
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