Shabti of Yuya

This carved cedar figure is fashioned in the likeness of a mummy, with its arms folded across its chest and wearing a striped wig. The surface is decorated with gold leaf and incised hieroglyphic text that serves as a magical invocation for the afterlife. These figures were intended to act as servants for the deceased in the next world, performing manual labor on their behalf.

The shabti is a central artifact of Ancient Egyptian funerary technology, specifically designed to bypass the hardships of the afterlife as described in the Book of the Dead. It reflects the Egyptian belief in the ritual animation of inert objects to serve the soul in the Duat.