Ancient Egyptian Ushabti Dynasty of Psammetichus I
The ushabti is one of the most interesting and most recognized of ancient Egyptian art. The Ushabti was considered magical . Magic played an important role in the daily life of the ancient Egyptians. The Ancient Egyptians believed that amulets and statues would protect them from perils, in their daily lives and in the next world. It was believed that the statue would come to life and respond to the commands of the owner. The word "Usabti" meant "answerer". The ancient Egyptians believed that there would be work to do in the afterlife. Since the Egyptians were an agrarian society, in the hereafter, workers would be required to do agricultural labor. As a result the Egyptians would be buried with statues (ushabts) which they believed would come to life, to serve their masters. More weathy ancient Egyptians would take hundreds, or even thousands of them to their grave, typically pinned to or wrapped within their burial shroud. Typically when mummifying the deceased, there could be as many as 80 layers of linen, and it was not unusual to place at least one amulet representation of each god within each layer. The ushabtis are shaped like a mummy, so as to be identified with Osiris, the Egyptian God of the Dead. These statues have hieroglyphs on the torso which most often is inscribed with the name of the dead to whom they belonged, as well as a prayer. Ushabtis and amulets were made in many sizes and of many materials, including terracotta, wood, stone, bronze, silver, gold, occasionally precious gemstones, but most often, like this ushabti, they were made of "faience". Faience was the forerunner of modern glass, and was manufactured by the Egyptians as far back as 4000 BC. This is an exquisite artifact which is over 2,500 years old.
