Ushabti

myminifactory

The ushabti figurine, also known as shabti or shawabti with numerous variant spellings, served a vital role in ancient Egyptian funerary practices. These small statues were deliberately placed among grave goods in tombs and tasked with acting as loyal servants for the deceased when called upon to perform manual labor in the afterlife. Typically depicted carrying a hoe on their shoulder and a basket on their back, ushabtis signified their duty to farm on behalf of the deceased. They often bore inscriptions written in hieroglyphs located on their legs, proclaiming their readiness to answer the gods' summons for work.