Egyptian Ushabti - Shabti from Egypt

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Thanks for looking at my listing. I will be selling many more "Genuine" Egyptian Items over the next few weeks so please bookmark me to insure you don't miss them. If you have any questions please dont hesitate to contact me. One of the most interesting and collectible artifacts from ancient Egypt is the ushabti. Magic played an important role in the daily life of the ancient Egyptians. Part of their magic was the belief that amulets and statues would protect them from perils, both real and imagined, in their daily lives and in the next world.During Egypt's Middle Kingdom period, small statues began to be created. These statuettes, some of which were beautifully carved and detailed, were made from wood in the early eras, and then fashioned out of stone, metal, terracotta, or faience. These statues were intended to be servants, which would magically come to life, and do any unpleasant chore the owner might be called upon to perform. Because the daily life of ancient Egyptians centered on agriculture, they viewed the next world as primarily agrarian. Therefore even the most wealthy or even royalty might be called on to do work in the fields. The figures were mummiform, so as to be identified with Osiris, the god of the dead, but their hands were protruding from the bandages so they could work.At first, the statues were inscribed with only the name of the owner, but soon they were inscribed with magical spells as well to assure that they would really come alive to do their chores. A typical spell would be: "O shawabti, if _____ is called upon to do work, answer, "Here I am!" Plough the fields, fill the canals with water and carry the sand of the east to the west." The word "shawabti" apparently referred to the persea-tree out of which these figures were occasionally made. Another name for them was "ushabti" which meant "answerer". The idea was that when the owner was called to work, the figure would answer for him. The statues are called by both names, and also called “shabtis”, today.Since ushabtis were provided to do the work, it became desirable to have many of them. During the New Kingdom it was common for an individual to have hundreds. Ushabtis were a common gift given by those close to the deceased, to be included in the tomb. Because the number of ushabtis found is often nearly 365, it is believed by many that the Egyptians intended that there be one for each day of the year. There is no actual evidence for this, and in fact the number found is rarely exactly 365. King Tut was accompanied by more than 400 of these figurines. The pharaoh Taharqa had more than one thousand ushabtis, each one beautifully carved from stone. Ushabtis varied considerably in size and materials, depending upon the wealth of the individual. They were usually made of f aience, although some were made of terra cotta, wood or stone. I brought a small number of these small ushabtis back from Luxor EGYPT some years ago this particular ushabti stands 6.cm and is bluey green in colour it has the apperance of being extremly old and really does look the business!! However, they are not fakes, fake is an expression to describe an item that has been manufactured to try to con someone in to thinking that it is something that it is not. They are available to any tourist who cares to look for them in Luxor, and are in fact very nice copies. looks authentic. It would look great in a frame or in a display cabinet. Thanks for looking at my listing. I will be selling many more Egyptian Items over the next few weeks. If you have any questions please dont hesitate to contact me. read more

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