Shabti of King Siptah

The figurine is carved from translucent travertine, commonly known as Egyptian alabaster, and features the king wearing the nemes headcloth. Vertical columns of incised hieroglyphs run down the front of the figure, detailing his royal titles and role in the afterlife. Shabtis were placed in tombs to act as substitutes for the deceased, intended to perform manual labor in the afterlife on behalf of the king.

The shabti is a quintessential artifact of Egyptian funerary religion, specifically tied to the concepts of the afterlife as described in the Book of the Dead, where the deceased required magical servants to navigate the agricultural tasks of the Field of Reeds.