Ushabti in Ancient Egypt: A Mirror of Life and Afterlife
Life and Afterlife in Ancient Egypt
The ancient Egyptians lived believing death did not end life. They saw the afterlife as a copy of life on earth. When someone died, their soul went to the Hall of Truth. There, Osiris and the Forty‑Two Judges weighed the person’s heart. If their heart was light, they proved worthy. Then they moved on to the Field of Reeds.
They crossed Lily Lake by boat with other souls. They arrived in a place filled with everything they loved on earth. That included their homes, favorite trees, pets, friends, and family. They could enjoy food, beer, and fun gatherings. They could keep doing hobbies they loved in life.
Work Continued in the Afterlife
Life did not stop after death. Ancient Egyptians thought work mattered all through eternity. People worked to support themselves and contribute to their community. Doing chores and helping neighbors was part of maintaining ma’at, which means harmony. That ideal said people should serve society because society gave back to them.
Major building projects, like pyramids, were done by craftspeople. They were skilled artists, not slaves. They got paid or worked freely out of goodwill. If a person could not work because of illness or other reasons, they had options. They could have someone else step in for them, but only once. On earth, a friend, family member, or hired worker took their place. In the afterlife, a special figurine called a shabti took over.
What Are Ushabti Figures?
Ushabti (also called shabti or shawabti) were small funerary dolls in ancient Egypt. They came in many spellings but shared one purpose. The old Egyptian name was wšbtj. It replaced an earlier word šwbtj, linked to the Persea tree.
These figurines carried on a task in the hereafter. They acted as substitutes for the soul. When manual work was required in the afterlife, the shabti did the job instead. Each figurine held tools and was inscribed with spells. These spells made the ushabti speak when called on. Through these words, the shabti declared its readiness to work in place of the deceased.
Those spells were often from the Book of the Dead. One famous spell said: “Oh shabti, if a deed has to be done, you are the worker.”
That meant if the owner got called to labor, the figurine would step forward.
Shape, Materials, and Inscriptions
Ushabtis came in various forms. Some were simple tubes with etched bodies. Others looked like mummified humans holding hoes or baskets. A few wore wigs or held farming tools. They ranged in size from a few inches tall to full human height.
Craftspeople used materials like wood, stone, faience, or clay. Wealthier Egyptians could afford large, elaborate figurines. Poorer families made smaller ones or used cheap materials. The spells were carved, painted, or stamped onto the ushabti’s back or base.
How Many Ushabtis Did You Need?
Burials sometimes included dozens of ushabtis. High‑ranking people could have hundreds of them. They even carried overseers, called shabti overseers, to manage all the soul workers. The idea was simple. You needed a team of helpers in the afterlife to ensure no work came back to you.
The Symbolism and Significance
Ushabtis reflect ancient Egyptians’ deep beliefs. They show how the living aimed to control fate after death. The figurines reveal a fear of backbreaking obligation in the eternal world. At the same time, they show a clever way to handle that obligation. They prepared for what came next, using faith and magic.
These small figures also tell us about the people who made them. Craftsmen had job security, even in death. Their skills were honored and even immortalized through ushabtis. These dolls still survive in museums worldwide.
Why Ushabtis Matter Today
Ushabtis help us understand Egyptian culture and faith. They prove that death was not an end. It was a restart. Every detail mattered, even afterlife chores. These dolls are proof of how ancient people bridged two worlds.
Today ushabtis teach archaeology and history. They give real insight into rituals, daily life, and beliefs from thousands of years ago. They show that preparing for tomorrow was as important as living today.
Ushabtis as Afterlife Helpers in Ancient Egypt
The Egyptians buried ushabtis alongside other grave goods. They meant these figurines to serve as servants or helpers for the dead. If the departed faced manual labor in the afterlife, the ushabti would step in. Most hold a hoe over one shoulder and a basket on their back. That suggests they were meant for farming work.
You can usually see hieroglyphs carved onto their legs. These inscriptions declare the ushabti’s readiness to obey the gods’ orders and perform tasks.
Shabtis are some of the most common artifacts recovered from ancient Egypt. Their small size and light weight made them easy souvenirs for early travelers. No Egyptian museum or private collection is without at least one shabti.
This practice began in the Old Kingdom (around 2600 to 2100 BC). Back then, life-sized limestone reserve heads were buried with mummies. Ushabtis started off large, but soon became small and mass-produced. In some burials, dozens or even hundreds of them surrounded the sarcophagus. Occasionally, Egyptian elites commissioned oversized or one-of-a-kind master ushabtis.
Because ushabtis were produced over thousands of years and became popular among collectors, they are now one of the most common objects in Egyptology exhibits. After scarabs, ushabtis rank as the most numerous ancient Egyptian artifacts still in existence.
The term shabti refers to figures made after the First Intermediate Period (c. 2181-2055 BC) and before the Twenty-first Dynasty. These figurines were often inscribed with Chapter Six of the Book of the Dead. Without those inscriptions, they’d more accurately fall under the general term funerary figurines.
Shabtis carried out the duties of the deceased in the underworld. To make them work, they had to include the owner’s name and a command phrase written in hieratic script.
During the New Kingdom around Thebes, a special class of funerary figures called shawabti emerged.
After the Twenty-first Dynasty, the term ushabti became widespread and remained in use through the Ptolemaic Kingdom.
Some scholars believe the word ushabti meant follower or answerer in ancient Egyptian. That fits since the figurine “answers” for the deceased and handles chores laid out for them by the gods. Others argue that meaning doesn’t match the form shawabti.
Many ushabti inscriptions quote Chapter Six of the Book of the Dead. Here’s a typical example:
Illumine the Osiris [deceased’s name], whose word is truth. Hail, Shabti Figure! If the Osiris [name] is made to do any work in Khert-Neter, let everything blocking him be removed; whether ploughing fields, filling canals, or carrying sand from east to west. The Shabti answers: “I will do it. I am here when you call.”
For instance, a figure for Ramses would read Osiris Ramses.
Origins of Ushabti and Early Texts
In some rare tombs, different chapters of the Book of the Dead appear. But most ushabti figurines include only the owner’s name and their titles, not the full spells. The earliest hint of these spells comes from mid‑Twelfth Dynasty coffins at Deir el‑Bersha, around 1850 BC. That text later became known as spell 472 of the Coffin Texts.
The first ushabti figures appear in that same era. They show up in tombs as tools to serve the dead. Some scholars suggest they may have replaced early human sacrifice traditions. But that idea has weak evidence, since centuries separate the two practices.
Spell 472 and Early Burial Practices
Ushabtis took on distinct features early on. They often had the dead person’s name, titles, and spell 472 inscriptions. Some also carried the Chapter 6 ushabti speech from the Book of the Dead. That speech let the figurine say: “I will do the work.”
18th Dynasty Changes Under Akhenaten
During the 18th Dynasty, under Akhenaten, things shifted. Ushabtis began to carry a different inscription. Instead of the standard ushabti speech, they bore an offering to Aten, the sun disk god. People believed these new ushabtis would magically come to life after judgment. They would work in the fields of Osiris, acting as the deceased’s helpers. In the New Kingdom, ushabtis were commonly called servants.
Proliferation in the 21st Dynasty and Later
From the 21st Dynasty onward, ushabtis became very common in burials. Some tomb floors were covered with them. Others stored them neatly in ushabti boxes. It was not unusual to find hundreds of them. Pharaohs carried far more than regular people. King Taharqa, for instance, had over a thousand.
Some of the ushabtis had special roles. Known as overseer or reis ushabtis, they held whips. These overseers managed groups of ten servants (a unit that resembled real‑world organization), like in armies. But as time passed into the Late Period, these overseer figurines became rare.
Ushabtis in Tutankhamun’s Tomb and Beyond
The tomb of Tutankhamun held many ushabtis in different sizes. Most were elaborate and carved with hieroglyphic phrases. Some were gilded and honored Osiris‑styled gods. Others were simpler, made of wood or glazed faience.
Most ushabtis looked like mummies. But under Thutmose IV in the 18th Dynasty, they started to appear as miniature servants. They carried baskets, sacks, and farming tools. Enamel versions could be colorful and finely detailed. Some were made from clay, wood, or stone. Early examples even used wax. Over time, more durable materials like stone, terracotta, metal, glass, and especially glazed earthenware (Egyptian faience) became common.
Rich tombs featured ornate ushabtis that were true artworks. But most were small, basic figures made from a single mold. A detailed study of faience ushabtis suggests this mass production was more like batch processing, some variation in each group.
In the New Kingdom (1550-1069 BC), the role of the shabti shifted. They were now seen less as magical helpers and more as forced labor. Their job was to take on tasks the deceased might face in the afterlife, like fieldwork. To match that role, they carried hoes, seed bags, and other tools.
No longer was the owner content with just a few ushabtis. Now, ideally each tomb held 401. That meant 365 worker‑shabtis, one for each day of the year, and 36 overseers, one for each Egyptian 10‑day week.
After the Ptolemaic Period (332-30 BC), they stopped making shabtis altogether.
Modern Collections of Ushabtis
Kingston Lacy, once home to explorer and Egyptologist William John Bankes (1786-1855), holds a notable collection of ushabtis. He gathered both private and royal examples during his travels. Snowshill Manor in England also houses several ushabtis. These belonged to Charles Paget Wade (1883-1956), a collector, architect, and poet.
Stick Shabtis: A Special Form
Stick shabtis are wooden figures with a rough humanoid shape. They date back to the end of the 17th Dynasty and the early 18th Dynasty (around 1550 BC). Unlike their elaborate counterparts, stick shabtis are simple. They have a single inscription and lack color or decoration. They were found not in burial chambers but in above‑ground cult chapels, mainly at Thebes.
These figures often sat in crude coffins with names carved on them. They likely represent family members or friends. Their placement in the chapel suggests they were a way for loved ones to stay close to the departed, in spirit if not in body.
