Ancient Egyptian shabti / ushabti

This is a very nice, small Late period shabti dating from the 1st millennium B.C. It measures 5.4cm in length.

Ushabtis are small figures of adult male or female form and were placed in tombs among the grave goods. They were intended to act as servants or minions for the deceased, should he/she be called upon to do manual labor in the afterlife. The figurines frequently carried a hoe on their shoulder and a basket on their backs, implying they were intended to farm for the deceased. inscribed with a special formula to be recited (Shabti formula), or figures representing the function expressed in that spell, namely, to carry out heavy manual tasks on behalf of a person in the afterlife.

The features and much of the faience glaze have worn away over the years although some of the glaze is still present.