Shabti

Shabti wearing a plain tripartite wig, and a divine beard. The front lappets and beard are fairly short. The arms are crossed right over left on the chest, and the hands protrude from a shroud to hold a pick in the left, and a hoe on the right. The right hand also holds the cord for a basket that is carried behind the left shoulder. The facial features are rather coarsely modelled. The lower legs, feet and base are missing.The body of the shabti has seven horizontal bands of inscription naming the owner as Ankh–pef–hery, born to Ter, followed by Chapter 6 of the Book of the Dead. Transliteration and translation of the inscription: sHD Wsir anx-p(A).f-Hr.i ms n tr mAa-xrw Dd.f i wSb.ty ipn ir ip.tw Wsir anx-p(A).f-Hr.i r ir.t kA.t nb(.t) Xn.t Say n imn.tt r iAb.tt Ts pXr m.k wi kA.tn, "The illuminated one, the Osiris, Ankh–pef–hery, born to Ter, justified, he speaks: O, these shabtis, if one counts, the Osiris, Ankh–pef–hery, to do all the works, to ferry the sand of the west to the east and vice–versa; ‘here I am,’ you shall say." This shabti, together with 36.119.97 (both for Ankh–pef–hery), were excavated by Bernard Grenfell and Arthur Hunt at El-Hiba in 1902-1903, and are probably among those referred as ‘coarse ushabtis’ in their account (The Hibeh Papyri, Part I, EEF, London, 1906, page 6). CONDITION NOTE 1998: Incomplete, chipped, worn, surface dirt.