Mods, feel free to move. I picked this up at a local Rock, Gem and Mineral show 2 weeks ago but it took time for me to research. Hope you enjoy it. It is a 3" Ushabti, aka Shabit or Shawabti, which has numerous spellings. It is a funerary figurine that was used in Ancient Egypt. Ushabits were placed in tombs among other grave goods. They purpose was to serve the deceased and perform manual labor in the afterlife. Figures with a hoe or basket are farmers for the deceased. The practice of using Ushabti's originated in 2600 to 2100 BCE. Ushabti's are fairly common and world museums' desire to have ancient Egyptian art objects makes this a common display. They were produced in huge numbers, along with scarabs, and both are the most numerous of all ancient Egyptian antiquities to survive. The 26th Dynasty of Egypt was the last native dynasty to rule Egypt before the Persian conquest in 525 BC (although others followed). The dynasty's reign (664–525 BC) is also called the Saite Period after the city of Sais, where its pharaohs had their capital, and marks the beginning of the Late Period of ancient Egypt. Necho II of Egypt, was a king of the 26th Dynasty (610 BC - 595 BC). He was responsible for a number of construction projects across his kingdom. In his reign, according to the Greek historian Herodotus, Necho II sent out an expedition of Phoenicians, which in three years sailed from the Red Sea around Africa to the mouth of the Nile. His son, Psammetichus II, upon succession may have removed Necho's name from monuments. Necho II played a significant role in the histories of the Neo-Assyrian Empire, the Neo-Babylonian Empire and the Kingdom of Judah. Necho II is most likely the pharaoh mentioned in several books of the Bible. The aim of the second of Necho's campaigns was Asiatic conquest, to contain the Westward advance of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, and cut off its trade route across the Euphrates. However, the Egyptians were defeated by the unexpected attack of the Babylonians and were eventually expelled from Syria. All information was taken from Wikipedia as I don't have a clue what I'm talking about. I am fortunate that this one, as many are, still have the legs intact. Grave robbers would break the legs off of the Ushabti's so the spirits would not be able to follow them. Since I know own one, and they are not cheap, I had a friend take the photos and send to me so I can share them with you. Hope you enjoy seeing them. And yes, it's 3" as I stated earlier with a natural blue color. It's made from a plaster like substance and in perfect condition.
Awesome yet creepy. That poor man's tomb was probably robbed in the 1700s, or 1800s to feed the demand for Egyptian artifacts in Europe. At least it's safe now and in a good home where it can be shared with others online for educational purposes, which is better than being buried in a museum basement and neglected, which is what happens to most of these when so many of these artifacts survive.
... ahaha, sometimes I make myself laugh (but sorry, just jokes) => I also think that the piece is super fricken cool (congrats on a very neat OP-addition)
Awesome @Collecting Nut !!! That is a great piece. I am building a small collection of Egyptian artifacts, with a few scarabae, eye of Horus, etc. A few Ushabti is in the picture for me. @Topcat7 has some cool Egyptian pieces also!
What kind are you looking for? I love the scarab journey that I am on right now... fascinating histories.
I have no idea. I bought this a couple of weeks ago and in doing the research I discovered so many different types I'm amazed. That's when I learned that scarabs are fairly common so I want one just because. I've done no research so I have not a clue what's available.
I am not sure if you have visited this thread by @Johndakerftw : https://www.cointalk.com/threads/are-these-crocodiles.283681/ But, there are a few of us starting to learn about them... fun!
Scarabs are awesome! My brother has two and I have one. There are a lot of different designs out there. Make sure to do research on the seller to make sure the scarab authentic. Cool score on the ushabti! Erin
Thanks, that was nice to see. I have a fossil croc head. Gotta get a picture of that and post. One of the dino heads and it made me wonder if there are scarab fossils.
I used to have several of these Chinese jade cicadas, which were placed in the mouth of the deceased at burial as a symbol of eternal life. The ones with the reddish brown color supposedly absorbed the blood from the corpse. They can often be bought fairly cheaply at the jade markets in Taiwan and Hong Kong.
