Shawabti of Siptah
New Kingdom, Dynasty 19, reign of Siptah, ca. 1194–1188 B.C
Egyptian
Alabaster; H. 8 1/4 in.
(20.9 cm)
Gift of Theodore M. Davis, 1914
(14.6.179)
Siptah, the last king of Dynasty 19, appears to have ruled along with the dowager queen Tawosret, who succeeded him briefly after his premature death. He left few monuments except his tomb and unfinished mortuary temple.
This alabaster shawabti of the king was found in his tomb by the American excavator Theodore Davis. Shawabti figures were placed in burials and inscribed with spells that allowed them to substitute for the deceased in performing manual labor in the afterlife.
