Shabtis are small mummiform figurines placed in tombs to assist the deceased in the Afterworld with corvée labour, as detailed in Spell 6 of The Book of the Dead. In the 3rd
Intermediate Period it became common for tomb owners to be provided with a shabti for every day of the year. These would be organized into groups of ten workers, each under the control of an officer, or overseer. This is a worker shabti. He wears a tripartite wig. His moulded face is somewhat abraded, but the eyes and eyebrows have been added in black paint. His arms are depicted crossed over the chest with the modelled fists clearly visible under the wig lappets. A hoe for each hand has been added in black paint. A square basket or seedbag hanging from his shoulder has been painted in black on the back of the figure. These tools were meant for use in agricultural labour in the Afterlife. A single framed column of text on the front of the figure gives the name and title of the deceased. It reads: The Osiris the divine father of Amun Ankh-ef-(en) Maat, justified. (S.B. Shubert)