Shabtis (or Ushabtis) were figurines in mummified form, which were placed in Egyptian tombs to perform any manual labour, required by the deceased in the afterlife, hence the hoe and the pot carried by the Shabti. Shabti dolls are the most numerous type of artefact to survive from ancient Egypt (besides scarabs). As noted, they were found in the tombs of people from all classes of society, poorest to most wealthy and commoner to king.
To discover more about these fascinating objects, please visit our relevant post: Egyptian Shabti: Companions in the Afterlife.
