Greentown Weblog

historical-nonfiction:

From the Middle Kingdom (c. 2055 BCE) the ancient Egyptians who could afford it were buried with statuettes, known as shabti-figures. They were usually shaped like mummies (as above) and made out of stone, wood, pottery, bronze, wax, or glass. The shabtis were inscribed with Chapter 6 of the Book of the Dead, which was a spell to ensure that the shabti would do any hard work the dead person was called upon to do. Essentially, these were fake humans made to serve the deceased in the afterlife. A big step-up from human sacrifices, in my opinion.

(via larkcarol)