Midlist Writer: Happy Valentine's Day from Ancient Egypt!

Tuesday 14 February 2017

Happy Valentine's Day from Ancient Egypt!

This happy couple is a rare example of a double shabti. A shabti was a figurine placed in an ancient Egyptian tomb that would act as a servant in the afterlife. They come in a remarkable number and variety, but seeing double ones like this are rare. In fact I don't think I've seen one before. This example dates from the 19th or 20th dynasties (1295-1069 BC) and is made of faience. I spotted it in the archaeological museum of Bologna, which also has an incredible Etruscan collection that I've written about over on Black Gate. You can see some more examples of shabtis in a post I did about London's Petrie Museum on the same blog.

It kind of sucks that this happy couple has to labor ceaselessly for all eternity for some dead Egyptian noble but hey, at least they have each other!

1 comment:

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...: They could share the misery.; 14 February 2017 at 06:07

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Tuesday 14 February 2017

Happy Valentine's Day from Ancient Egypt!

1 comment: