What did the justified dead hope for after the The Judgment of the Dead? One answer was the Field of Reeds (sḫt-jꜣrw), a perfect Egypt in the afterlife.
Key idea
The blessed dead hoped to live in the Field of Reeds, a perfect Egypt where crops grew tall; shabti figures would do their work for them.
The vignette of Book of the Dead spell 110 is a map of the Field: canals and islands, the owner plowing, sowing and reaping, and boats on the water. The crops are huge, and there is plenty for all. It is the Nile valley, made perfect and lasting.
Why it works
Egyptians knew one good life: farming by the river. So they pictured the best afterlife the same way. But a perfect Egypt still needed work, and in Egypt the state could call people to do labor on canals and fields. The dead might be called too. The answer was the shabti: a small figure, often mummy-shaped, holding hoes, that would answer for its owner.
Shabtis
- Many shabtis carry spell 6 of the Book of the Dead: if the owner is called to work, the shabti says "Here I am!" and goes instead.
- A later form of the name, ushabti, was understood as "answerer".
- Some later burials had 365 workers, one for every day of the year, plus overseers to manage them.
- They were made of wood, stone, and above all faience, a glazed material often blue or green.
Worked example: A worker for each day
Why might a burial contain 365 shabtis?
- Each shabti could answer one call to work.
- There are 365 days in the Egyptian year.
- One worker per day covers the whole year.
Answer: One for each day of the year.
Worked example: Reading a figure
A small blue faience figure is shaped like a mummy, holds two hoes and is inscribed with spell 6. What is it?
- Mummy shape and farm tools suggest work in the afterlife.
- Spell 6 is the shabti spell.
- So it is a shabti.
Answer: A shabti.
Common mistake
Thinking shabtis were toys or portraits. They were helpers meant to answer when the dead were called to work. Quick check: look for spell 6 and the farm tools.