DISCUSS

Shawabti of High Priest Paynozem
ca. 1000 BCE

Shawabti (shuh-WAB-tee) figures were placed in tombs to do chores in the afterlife. Originally shawabtis were carefully crafted out of stone, each with its own coffin. As time went on, however, tombs tended to have more shawabtis, often of lesser quality, with many of them being mass-produced in molds.

Do you think this shawabti was carefully hand-formed or created in a mold? Why?

Why do you think this trend toward mass-production might have occurred?

Can you think of any consumer products today that have followed a similar trend?