USHABTI FIGURE

any of the small statuettes made of wood, stone, or faience that are often found in large numbers in ancient Egyptian tombs. The figures range in height from 4 to 9 inches (10 to 23 cm) and often held hoes in their arms. Their purpose was to act as a magical substitute for the deceased owner when the gods requested him to undertake menial tasks in the afterlife. The word ushabti is usually translated answerer; the earlier form of the word is shawabti. During the New Kingdom (15391075 BC) the figures were made to resemble the tomb owner by being fashioned in the form of a mummy bearing the owner's name.