Uninscribed Overseer Shabti
Ramesside–Third Intermediate Period
The pose and attributes of this small funerary figure (shabti), with one arm by the side and the other crossed over the chest and holding a whip, as well as the triangular kilt, identifies this as an "overseer" figure. It was likely one of 401 shabtis buried with its owner, of which the majority would have been mummiform "workers," ready to carry out manual labor on behalf of the deceased in the afterlife. Ideally, there was one overseer for each ten workers, included to make sure this labor was performed properly.