Egyptian Ushabti Figure, ca.664-525 BC.

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This 3D model is a laser scan of an Egyptian ushabti figurine from the National Museum Cardiff's impressive collections. The original figurine was crafted around 664-525 BC, a time when Ancient Egyptian artisans were renowned for their mastery of funerary arts. Ushabti figures played a crucial role in Ancient Egyptian burial customs as servants to carry out laborious tasks required of the deceased in the afterlife. They were carefully placed in tombs to perform duties involving heavy manual labor such as plowing fields, sowing seeds, and harvesting crops. This ushabti figurine bears an inscription that invokes a spell to provide sustenance for its master or mistress. The name 'shabti' or 'ushabt' literally translates to answerer, signifying the little figure's purpose - to respond when summoned to work tirelessly for eternity. In ancient Egypt, life was marked by ceaseless labor as Egyptians built majestic temples and pyramids while struggling to produce enough food on their fields. Consequently, everyone desired ushabti servants to grant them eternal rest in the afterlife, prompting the mass production of these figurines throughout ancient Egyptian history. With over 20,000 surviving examples, ushabtis remain the most abundant form of ancient Egyptian antiquities to have endured.