Nefertiti and the Perfect Serenity of Death: Mesmeric Shabtis of Akhenaten and Tutankhamun —Part II
Archeological records and a trove of recovered specimens inform us that shabtis (funerary figurines) produced from different materials were placed in the tombs of Eighteenth Dynasty Pharaoh Tutankhamun, his father and grandfather. The exquisite workmanship of these funerary objects aside, did KV62 yield figurines that were originally destined for the burial of a female pharaoh—and was this person Nefertiti?
Ancient Egyptian burials consisted of anywhere between two, and, in pharaonic tombs, around a thousand shabtis. It was believed that these “Answerers” would carry out tasks on behalf of the deceased in the Hereafter. A superb display of exquisite figurines from different periods, produced from various materials. Egyptian Museum, Cairo.
