The Ushabti of the Overseer of the Granary, Amenhotep, offers a glimpse into ancient Egyptian beliefs, where agriculture played a vital role even in the afterlife. As a symbolic figure, the Ushabti was meant to serve its owner—Amenhotep, a high-ranking official in agricultural administration—by performing fieldwork on his behalf after death.

Egypt, ca. 1397–1388 B.C.
Limestone

Agriculture in the Afterlife

This finely crafted limestone figure bears an inscription naming Amenhotep as the “justified Overseer of the Granary” and describing his duties in the underworld—from irrigating the fields to cultivating the soil.

A fascinating testimony to ancient Egyptian faith and agrarian symbolism – on display only in November at the PANEUM.