, Egyptian King Ahmose I Royal Ushabti

Founder of the 18th Dynasty

Description

King Ahmose I
The founder of this Dynasty is less well known to the general public, but unquestionably of major importance to Egyptian history.

He was Ahmose I, during whose reign Egypt was finally and completely liberated from the Hyksos. Various scholars attribute different dates to his reign, but he probably became ruler of Egypt around 1550 BC at the age of 10, and ruled for a period of around 25 years before his death (examination of his well preserved mummy suggest he was about 35 when he died).

Ahmose I (Amosis to the Greeks) was given the birth name Ah-mose (The Moon is Born).

His thrown name was Neb-pehty-re (The Lord of Strength is Re). He was probably a boy when he assumed the thrown, having lost his father Seqenenre Taa II and his brother Kahmose within three years of each other.

His mother was Queen Ashotep, a powerful woman who was perhaps his co-regent during his early years.

Egyptologists believe that during his very early reign, little was probably accomplished and perhaps the Hyksos may have even gained some ground, recapturing Heliopolis.  However, by the end of his first decade in power, we know from an autobiography of Ahmose, son of Ibana, a naval officer from El-Kab, that he laid siege on Avaris (The tomb of Ahmose Pennekheb, another soldier also records the campaigns).

This was a long battle interrupted by the need to put down insurrections in already liberated territories, but appears to have been successful sometime between his 12th and 15th year as ruler. Afterwards, he attacked the southwest Palestinian fortress of Sharuhen in a six year siege that would finally put an end to Hyksos control of Egypt.

Royal Ushabti
Shabti literally translated it means "to answer." It is a small Mummiform figure placed in tombs to do work in the afterlife on behalf of the deceased. In some tombs of the late New Kingdom whole gangs of ushabti workers were included with different tools for doing different work. A complete collection would consist of 401 Ushabti: one for each day of the year, 365 plus 36 foremen.

Ushabti, shawabtis or Shabties, first appeared on the ancient Egyptian scene in the Middle Kingdom around 2000 B.C.E. Ushabti are small funerary collectibles, which were covered with a person in order to act as a worker in the afterworld in place of the deceased.

These highly stylized funeral collectibles commonly represent a body prepared in the traditional Egyptian way, with its arms crossed holding Egyptian artifacts and a head piece adorning the face of the ushabti. The backs of these small collectibles are usually designed with a seed pouch slung over the shoulder and with tools to propagate and reap the fields of the afterworld. While most of these small statuettes bear the personalized artistic conventions of the region they were produced in, they almost always contain burial inscriptions on the front.

The inscription on a 26th dynasty (663-525 B.C.E.) Ushabti translates: "The shining forward of the Osiris”. Ushabti, if it is decreed that Osiris is to do work any there is in the afterlife, cast down the obstacles in front of this man. Take a look at me (whenever) you (the Ushabti) are called. Be watchful at any moment to work there. To plough the fields to water and (carry) the sand to the east, to the west. Regard me whenever called.

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