SAEDNEWS: Shabti Figurines and Mummy Portraits in Ancient Egyptian Tombs
Ancient Egypt is often remembered for its grand tombs and elaborate burial rituals. Archaeologists exploring thousands-of-years-old cemeteries and tombs have uncovered a diverse array of historical artifacts. Here are 13 remarkable items repeatedly discovered in ancient Egyptian burials:
1. Copies of the "Book of the Dead"
The “Book of the Dead” is the modern name for a collection of writings sometimes buried with the deceased. Ancient Egyptians believed these texts would guide the dead through the afterlife. Each copy contained different spells or chapters, rather than a uniform version. Known by the ancient Egyptians as the “Book of the Coming Day,” these writings were thought to help the deceased ascend as a high-ranking spirit. Some chapters describe events the deceased might encounter, including the “Weighing of the Heart” ceremony, where one’s good deeds are measured against the feather of Ma’at, the goddess of justice.
2. Stone Sarcophagi
Ancient Egyptians were sometimes buried in ornate stone coffins decorated with inscriptions. Luxurious sarcophagi could include hieroglyphs with the deceased’s name and wishes for peace. Like modern Russian nesting dolls, a single burial could contain multiple coffins inside one another, with the mummified body at the center. The materials used often reflected the wealth of the individual—for example, the sarcophagus of Pharaoh Tutankhamun contained a significant amount of gold.
3. Mummy Portraits
Mummy portraits provided lifelike images of the deceased. Painted on wooden panels, many date from the mid-1st to mid-3rd centuries CE. These portraits were attached to the mummies and were especially common in the city and villages of Faiyum, though examples have been found across Egypt.
4. Ushabti Figures
Ushabti statues were buried with the dead to serve them in the afterlife. The number of ushabtis varied depending on the tomb. Simple figures were made of clay, while more elaborate ones were gilded. Spells were often inscribed on these figures to magically animate them in the afterlife.
5. Canopic Jars
Special jars were created to hold internal organs removed during mummification. The four sons of Horus were believed to protect specific organs: Hapy guarded the lungs, Imsety the liver, Duamutef the stomach, and Qebehsenuef the intestines. These jars were sometimes placed in a chest within the tomb, as seen in Tutankhamun’s burial.
6. Golden Tongues
Between 332 BCE and 395 CE, some mummies were buried with tongues made of gold. These were possibly intended to allow the deceased to speak in the afterlife.
7. Wall Paintings
Luxurious tombs were often decorated with murals depicting the deceased, gods, and scenes of worship, as well as daily life, animals, and plants. Hieroglyphs accompanying the paintings sometimes recorded who was buried in the tomb and their achievements in life.
8. Scarab Amulets
Scarab-shaped amulets were sometimes buried with the dead. Ancient Egyptians considered the dung beetle sacred, believing it rolled the sun across the sky, mirroring how beetles move dung. These amulets were attached to the mummy’s linen as protective charms.
9. Statues
Tombs sometimes contained statues of gods or the deceased and their family members. For example, archaeologists in January 2024 discovered a statue of the Greek god Harpocrates as a child with a finger to his lips in a roughly 2,000-year-old Saqqara tomb. In April 2023, statues of a man named Panehsy and his family, carved into tomb walls, were found in a 3,300-year-old tomb in Saqqara.
10. Jewelry
Wealthy Egyptians were often buried with necklaces, rings, and pectorals. Tutankhamun’s tomb contained a wide range of elaborate jewelry, including luxurious chest ornaments.
11. Mummified Animals
Pets or ritual animals were sometimes mummified and buried alongside their owners. According to Egyptologist Lisa Sabbahy, these could include beloved pets or animals such as cows, ducks, or geese, sometimes prepared as food for the deceased in the afterlife.
12. Mummy Masks
Mummy masks were placed over the faces of the deceased to present an idealized image. Materials ranged from plaster to cloth, and in rare cases, precious metals. In 2018, a gilded silver mask belonging to a priest was discovered in Saqqara.
13. Miniature Boats
Miniature boats were sometimes included in tombs. One notable example was found in a 4,000-year-old tomb containing 55 small boats, apparently transporting the mummy of the deceased, in Deir el-Bersha.
