With Dr Joanne Backhouse
Throughout Pharonic Egypt craftsmen created statues and figurines which it was believed would work for the owner in the afterlife or have some influence in this life.
During the Old Kingdom stone statues were sculpted of servants carrying out household activities, such as grinding grain and butchery. These developed in the Middle Kingdom into wooden group models. These included more diverse scenes of daily life, for example weaving workshops and also fleets of boats. These stone figures and wooden models were placed in the tomb to provide for the tomb owner in the afterlife.
Also, in the Middle Kingdom shabtis figures were fashioned. Initially, these were representatives of the deceased, which acted as a substitute for them after death, carrying out work. Over time the number of figures included in each tomb increased and they became more like servants or slaves.
Figurines were also created to aid fertility in this life and the next. These were often stylised or abstracted representations of the female form, crafted in diverse materials, placed mainly in tombs but also as votive offerings in temples and the home.
