Shabti of Sennedjem
New Kingdom, Ramesside
This shabti is inscribed for the "Servant in the Place of Truth" Sennedjem. Shabtis were intended to substitute for the deceased owner if his spirit was asked to perform manual labor in the afterlife. To this end, these small funerary figurines often clutch a hoe and a pick and have one or two baskets hanging over their shoulders on the back. They are also usually inscribed with a version of Chapter 6 of the Book of the Dead. This spell exhorts the shabti to work in place of the deceased.
Other objects in the collection that were discovered in Sennedjem's tomb can be viewed here.
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