Most were symbols related to a god or goddess so placed the wearer under their specific protection. From an early age, they would wear a variety of these charms around the neck, wrists, fingers and ankles. They believed that amulets endowed the wearer with magical powers of protection and healing and also brought good fortune. However, ancient Egyptians elevated the influence of jewellery to a greater level. Many cultures and individuals, including some today, have placed great faith in symbolic jewellery like amulets or charms. The last shabtis were used in the late Ptolemaic Period, as attitudes to death and the afterlife had changed. This was due mostly to an ideological shift – they now represented servants rather than the dead person. By about 1000 BCE shabtis became simplified in form, with the wealthy now having one for every day of the year and overseer shabtis to manage them. Individually sculpted, they were designed to represent the owner and only one or two were placed in a tomb. They first appear in the Middle Kingdom about 2100 BCE, replacing the servant statuettes that were common in tombs of the Old Kingdom. Shabtis have a long history as funerary items for tombs. Shabtis were small funerary statuettes inscribed with a spell that miraculously brought them to life, enabling the dead person to relax while the shabtis performed their physical duties. The dead were granted a plot of land in the afterlife and were expected to maintain it, either by performing the labour themselves or getting their shabtis to work for them. those for the provision of essential nourishment, leisure and comfort for their eternal spirit, such as food, clothing and shabtis (small funerary statuettes).those for protection and guidance on the underworld journey and in the afterlife, such as amulets, stelae and the Book of the Dead (or other funerary texts).Purchase of small funerary itemsįunerary items for placement in the tomb were purchased from specialist shops or temples though wealthier people would commission items such as furniture, expensive coffins and jewellery. PreparationsĪ variety of different preparations were required. These things could be achieved if proper preparations were made during a person’s lifetime. If successful, they were required to provide eternal sustenance for their spirit. The dead had to negotiate a dangerous underworld journey and face the final judgment before they were granted access. However, entry into this afterlife was not guaranteed. The ancient Egyptians believed that when they died their spiritual body would continue to exist in an afterlife very similar to their living world.
Photographed for the 200 Treasures of the Australian Museum exhibition and catalogue in 2017. Middle Kingdom (c2055–1650 BCE) Donated by the estate of More analysis is being done in an effort to resolve this mystery.ġ05 (long) x 22 (wide) x 55 (deep) cm Provenance unknown An initial carbon-14 date indicates at least part of the object originated in the Middle Kingdom. For this reason, over the years, scholars were unsure what to make of this intriguing artefact. The form and design of this boat stand out in contrast to other, more common examples. At that time, funerary boats were popular and frequently placed in tombs, presumably to assist the soul of the departed person in their journey to the afterlife. Like many other boats of this kind, it belongs to the Middle Kingdom (2055–1650 BCE) of Egyptian history. Among the Museum’s outstanding pieces is this small funerary boat, acquired by Wunderlich probably from an artefact dealer (hence its specific provenance is unknown). At that time, spectacular discoveries of Egyptian antiquities were enticing treasure- hunters and collectors. The Australian Museum has a significant Egyptian collection, a large part of which was assembled by Museum trustee Ernest Wunderlich in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.