DYNASTY XXVI · REIGN OF AMASIS · 570–526 BCE
Shabti of Psamtek The funerary worker who answered on Psamtek's behalf
The inscription asked the figurine to work in the afterlife in Psamtek's place.
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History and context Evidence and facts Objects connected through time Further reading Location and territory Where it is held Sources and references Comments Museum documentation · free public access, no account required.
⛶ Enlarge imageDECLARED VISUAL RECONSTRUCTION · AI-GENERATED IMAGE · TRACEKEEPERS Generated reconstruction · Declared visual hypothesis
Declared visual reconstruction, created for museographic contextualisation; not a photograph of the original nor does it constitute documentary evidence.
History and context The Psamtek funerary figurine bears a hieroglyphic inscription with the chapter 6 of the Book of the Dead, a formula that summoned the ushabti if its owner was required to work in the afterlife.
The genealogy must be read precisely: Sebarekhyt appears as mother—‘born of’—not father. The provenance of Saqqara is probable, not a fully documented modern excavation.
Evidence and interpretation Name, inscription, chronology, material and inventory are documented. Psamtek's exact provenance and social biography are incomplete.
Catalogue facts
Date 570–526 BCE
Provenance Probable Saqqara
Inventory Art Institute of Chicago 1942.647
Genealogy Psamtek, born of Sebarekhyt Figurines20 Human imagery73 Funerary contexts64 Inscriptions34
The order uses the midpoint of each approximate date range; ranges can overlap. Spacing does not represent elapsed time. Swipe, scroll or use the arrows. With the sequence focused, use ← / →, Home or End.
Earlier Later
≈40,000 years · Aurignacian
Hohle Fels Prehistory
Approximate catalogue age; editorial reference 2026 for ordering only, not calibrated dating.
Read the record ≈29,500 years
Willendorf Prehistory
Approximate catalogue age; editorial reference 2026 for ordering only, not calibrated dating.
Read the record ≈28,000 years cal BP · by funerary association
Brno II Articulated Figure Prehistory
≈28,000 cal BP converted with 1950 origin; date by funerary association. An approximate scale conversion for ordering; not a new radiocarbon calibration.
Read the record ≈29,000–27,000 years
Dolní Věstonice I Prehistory
Approximate catalogue age; editorial reference 2026 for ordering only, not calibrated dating.
Read the record ≈28,000 years
Lespugue Prehistory
Approximate catalogue age; editorial reference 2026 for ordering only, not calibrated dating.
Read the record ≈23,000–21,000 years
Kostenki I Prehistory
Approximate catalogue age; editorial reference 2026 for ordering only, not calibrated dating.
Read the record ≈23,000–21,000 years
Zaraysk Bison Prehistory
Approximate catalogue age; editorial reference 2026 for ordering only, not calibrated dating.
Read the record Towards 2900–2600 BCE
Worshiper of Tell Asmar Sumer
Approximate dating according to the record.
Read the record c. 800–600 BCE
Offering 4 Maya worlds
Date of the deposit of Offering 4.
Read the record c. 721–664 BCE
Kushite king Nubia, Kerma and Kush
Interval attributed to the specimen in the catalogue.
Read the record 7th century BCE
The so-called ‘Priest of Cádiz’ Phoenicians
Approximate dating according to the record.
Read the record 7th century BCE
The so-called ‘Priest of Cádiz’ Iberians
Approximate dating according to the record.
Read the record You are viewing 570–526 BCE
Shabti of Psamtek Ancient Egypt
Approximate dating according to the record.
Current record ca. 600–400 BCE
Overlapping dates La Venta grave goods Maya worlds
Date of the funerary assemblage.
Read the record 4th–3rd centuries BCE
Lady of Ibiza Phoenicians
Approximate dating according to the record.
Read the record 4th–3rd centuries BCE
Lady of Ibiza Iberians
Approximate dating according to the record.
Read the record 67–100 CE
Thracian Gladiator from Cádiz Etruscans and Rome
Approximate dating according to the record.
Read the record 13 / 17 In the centre: Shabti of Psamtek
Also connected, without a comparable date (3) These objects are not placed after the others: an unknown date does not mean a more recent object.
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Human imagery Lion-man · ≈40,000 years · Aurignacian · PrehistoryHohle Fels · ≈40,000 years · Aurignacian · PrehistoryWillendorf · ≈29,500 years · PrehistoryBrno II Articulated Figure · ≈28,000 years cal BP · by funerary association · PrehistoryDolní Věstonice I · ≈29,000–27,000 years · PrehistoryLespugue · ≈28,000 years · PrehistoryKostenki I · ≈23,000–21,000 years · PrehistoryShigir Idol · C. 10,000 BCE · approximation; debated dating · PrehistoryNahal Hemar mask · Eighth millennium BCE · context dating, not direct dating of the stone · PrehistoryEl Miradero spatula-idols · ≈4000–3800 cal BCE · PrehistoryWarka Mask · End of the 4th millennium BCE · SumerCueva de las Manos · Sequence ≈9300–1300 BP · PrehistoryUruk Vase · ca. 3300–3000 BCE · SumerWorshiper of Tell Asmar · Towards 2900–2600 BCE · SumerStandard of Ur · ca. 2600–2400 BCE · SumerStatue of Ebih-Il · Towards 2400 BCE · SumerAkkadian sovereign head · Akkadian period · 23rd century BCE · SumerBassetki Statue · Akkadian period · 23rd century BCE · SumerBefore Pre-Inca Cultures · Kotosh-Mito Tradition, c. 2200–1500 BCE; the enclosure is usually situated around 1800 BCE. · Pre-Inca culturesQueen of the Night · 19th–18th centuries BCE · SumerBull-leaping · c. 1600–1450 BCE · Greek worldsWooden faces · c. 1600–1000 BCE, in several phases · Maya worldsHead 2 · c. 1200–900 BCE · Maya worldsIvory in Nimrud · 9th–8th centuries BCE · PhoeniciansLas Limas · c. 1000–600 BCE · Maya worldsAstarte from El Carambolo · 8th century BCE · PhoeniciansAstarte from El Carambolo · 8th century BCE · IberiansLamassu of Khorsabad · Reign of Sargon II · 721–705 BCE · SumerThe Lanzón · c. 900–500 BCE · Pre-Inca culturesOffering 4 · c. 800–600 BCE · Maya worldsKushite king · c. 721–664 BCE · Nubia, Kerma and KushThe so-called ‘Priest of Cádiz’ · 7th century BCE · PhoeniciansThe so-called ‘Priest of Cádiz’ · 7th century BCE · IberiansHeads on the wall · c. 800–300 BCE · Pre-Inca culturesShabti of Psamtek · 570–526 BCE · Ancient Egypt — You are viewingTwo voices in an urn · 530–520 BCE · Etruscans and RomeThe god on the roof · Towards 510–500 BCE · Etruscans and RomeGlazed brick guards · 522–486 BCE · Achaemenid PersiaTwenty-three delegations · 6th–5th centuries BCE, mainly under Darius and Xerxes · Achaemenid PersiaBanquet under leopards · Around 480–470 BCE · Etruscans and RomeThe statue was the urn · First half of the 4th century BCE · IberiansA battle on a comb · Early 4th century BCE · Scythians and SakaThe Kul-Oba vase · 4th century BCE · Greek worldsThe Solokha gold comb · 4th century BCE · Greek worldsFaces of the Steppe · Second half of the 4th century BCE · Scythians and SakaLady of Ibiza · 4th–3rd centuries BCE · PhoeniciansPunic head pendant · Mid 4th–3rd centuries BCE · PhoeniciansLady of Ibiza · 4th–3rd centuries BCE · IberiansThe Raimondi Stele · c. 400–200 BCE according to MNAAHP · Pre-Inca culturesChão de Lamas pectoral · 3rd–2nd centuries BCE · concealed in the early 1st century BCE · IberiansVas dels Guerrers · 3rd–early 2nd century BCE · IberiansWarriors' Vase · 3rd–2nd centuries BCE · IberiansThe dismantled cauldron · 2nd–1st centuries BCE · Celtic worldsThe walls of San Bartolo · c. 100 BCE · Maya worldsGladiators Cup of Chavagnes · 25–75 CE · Etruscans and RomeThracian Gladiator from Cádiz · 67–100 CE · Etruscans and RomeTorreáguila fountain spout · 101–125 CE · Etruscans and RomeArticulated doll from Tarragona · Late 3rd–4th century CE · Etruscans and RomeSeven heads · c. 500–700 CE · Bantu-speaking worldsSeated figure · 13th century, date attributed by the museum · Mande WorldsKongo crucifix · 16th–17th centuries · Bantu-speaking worldsKuba ndop · ca. 1760 · Bantu-speaking worldsWithout a comparable date (not part of the chronological order):
Before Persia · Central core c. seventeenth century BCE; Neo-Elamite additions between the ninth and sixth centuries BCE · Achaemenid PersiaBhimbetka · Mesolithic–historical and medieval period · PrehistoryEland Cave · Regional tradition of ≈4,000 years · up to historical period · PrehistoryFour offerers · Iberian period · individual dating according to catalogue · IberiansGame Pass Shelter · Regional rock art chronology · panel not dated in isolation · San historiesLararium of Vilauba · Roman period · Etruscans and RomeLeang Karampuang · Minimum 51,200 years · dating published in 2024 · PrehistoryQuinkan Country · Regional art up to ≈27,000 BP · modern continuity · PrehistorySierra de San Francisco · Broad tradition with direct dates ≈5290–295 BP · PrehistoryTassili n’Ajjer · Corpus ≈6000 BCE–first centuries CE · PrehistoryThe Thracian Horseman · Roman era · diffusion especially in the 2nd–3rd centuries CE · ThraciansFunerary contexts Brno II Articulated Figure · ≈28,000 years cal BP · by funerary association · Prehistory'Jamila's' necklace · ≈7250–7000 BCE · PrehistoryThe Gold of Varna · Towards 4600–4200 BCE · ThraciansEl Miradero spatula-idols · ≈4000–3800 cal BCE · PrehistoryGuadancil idol-plaque · 3750–2500 cal BCE · IberiansStaff of Anta 4 · Late 4th–first half of the 3rd millennium BCE. · PrehistoryAbydos Boats · ca. 3000 BCE · Ancient EgyptQueen's Lyre · ca. 2600–2500 BCE · SumerPuabi headdress · ca. 2600–2450 BCE · SumerStandard of Ur · ca. 2600–2400 BCE · SumerCemetery R-37 · ca. 2550–2030 BCE · Indus civilisationKerma vessel · c. 1802–1640 BCE · Nubia, Kerma and KushGrave Circle A and Chrysolakkos · 18th–16th centuries BCE · Greek worldsBurial at K IV · circa 1750–1550 BCE · Nubia, Kerma and KushBefore Vedic India · c. 1900–1300 BCE · Vedic and later Indian worldsOsmankayası and Ilıca · ca. 1700/1650–1200 BCE · HittitesTutankhamun's grave goods · death towards 1323 BCE · Ancient EgyptFu Hao’s burial goods · ca. 1200 BCE · Ancient ChinaThe voice of Ahiram · c. 11th–10th century BCE · PhoeniciansBefore Etruscans and Rome · ca. 850–800 BCE · Etruscans and RomeThe urn under the helmet · 9th–8th centuries BCE · Etruscans and RomeTomb 1 at Kuntur Wasi · c. 800 BCE · Pre-Inca culturesBeads from Cerro de los Vientos · 8th–7th centuries BCE · orientalizing · IberiansCeramic stand 1010 · 8th–7th centuries BCE · orientalizing · IberiansRegolini-Galassi tomb · ca. 675–650 BCE · Etruscans and RomeShabti of Psamtek · 570–526 BCE · Ancient Egypt — You are viewingTwo voices in an urn · 530–520 BCE · Etruscans and RomeThe great Greek krater of Vix · ≈530–500 BCE · Greek worldsSteppe kurgans · 7th–4th centuries BCE · Scythians and SakaVix Tomb · c. 500 BCE · Celtic worldsLa Venta grave goods · ca. 600–400 BCE · Maya worldsSarcophagus of Eshmunazar · first quarter of the 5th century BCE · PhoeniciansBanquet under leopards · Around 480–470 BCE · Etruscans and RomeTwenty-six voiceless signs · 5th–4th centuries BCE · Scythians and SakaThe oldest knotted carpet · 5th–4th centuries BCE · Scythians and SakaThe statue was the urn · First half of the 4th century BCE · IberiansGrave goods of Baza and Toya · First half of the 4th century BCE · IberiansThe Attic krater that took on a new life in Cástulo · 4th century BCE · Greek worldsThe silver amphora of Chertomlyk · 4th century BCE · Greek worldsThe Kul-Oba vase · 4th century BCE · Greek worldsSusa grave goods · c. 350 BCE · Achaemenid PersiaFaces of the Steppe · Second half of the 4th century BCE · Scythians and SakaLady of Ibiza · 4th–3rd centuries BCE · Phoenicians453 astragali from Alarcos · 4th–3rd centuries BCE · necropolis chronology · IberiansLady of Ibiza · 4th–3rd centuries BCE · IberiansFalcata from Almedinilla · 4th–3rd centuries BCE · IberiansGolyamata Kosmatka · End of the 4th century – beginning of the 3rd century BCE; ritual burial at the beginning of the III according to Iskra. · ThraciansThe blade became straight · 5th–1st centuries BCE · Gojoseon and early KoreaGeometry in very fine lines · 3rd–2nd centuries BCE · Gojoseon and early KoreaNorthern mound · 2nd–1st centuries BCE · Yayoi JapanTwo rows of coffins · Mainly Middle Yayoi, 2nd century BCE–1st century CE · Yayoi JapanKabusanza, ca. 400 · ca. 400 CE · Batwa / Twa historiesPakal’s grave goods · sealed on 28 August 683 CE · Maya worldsMissing grave goods · 13th–15th centuries according to the heritage overview · Bantu-speaking worldsWithout a comparable date (not part of the chronological order):
Inscriptions Naqada labels · ca. 3300–3100 BCE · Ancient EgyptNarmer Palette · ca. 3100 BCE · Ancient EgyptUr-Nanshe relief · Mid-3rd millennium BCE · reign of Ur-Nanshe · SumerStele of the Vultures · Towards 2450–2425 BCE · SumerBassetki Statue · Akkadian period · 23rd century BCE · SumerIndus seals · ca. 2600–1900 BCE · Indus civilisationNaram-Sin Stele · Reign of Naram-Sin, 2254–2218 BCE · SumerStele of Hammurabi · Towards 1750 BCE · SumerPhaistos Disc · ≈1700–1650 BCE · Greek worldsLinear A · c. 1700–1500 BCE · Greek worldsThe voice of Ahiram · c. 11th–10th century BCE · PhoeniciansThe Cascajal Block · Proposed c. 1000–900 BCE · Maya worldsBlack Obelisk · 825 BCE · SumerAstarte from El Carambolo · 8th century BCE · PhoeniciansAstarte from El Carambolo · 8th century BCE · IberiansStele of Esarhaddon · 7th century BC C. · 671 campaign BCE · SumerIvory with names · End of the 7th century–first half of the 6th century BCE · PhoeniciansShabti of Psamtek · 570–526 BCE · Ancient Egypt — You are viewingUni was also Astarte · Towards 510 BCE · Etruscans and RomeSarcophagus of Eshmunazar · first quarter of the 5th century BCE · PhoeniciansEzerovo Ring · 5th century BCE · chronology discussed in the bibliography · ThraciansTwenty-six voiceless signs · 5th–4th centuries BCE · Scythians and SakaThe inscription of Pistiros · 4th century BCE · ThraciansYan knife-money in the Gojoseon sphere · 4th–3rd centuries BCE · Ancient ChinaLead tablet · 4th–3rd centuries BCE · IberiansA coin with the memory of a blade · 323–222 BCE · Gojoseon and early KoreaA sky over the liver · End of the second–beginning of the first century BCE · Etruscans and RomeHand of Irulegui · First third of the 1st century BCE · IberiansBetatun altar · 1st century BCE–1st century CE · IberiansThe date of 292 · 292 CE · Maya worldsKilwa coin · 1482–1493 · Bantu-speaking worldsWithout a comparable date (not part of the chronological order):
A closer look About 1 min to read · 1 section. Further reading and sources · free access. Editorial review recorded: September 5, 2026 .
The craftsman's hand after the mold The Art Institute's study of Psamtek's ushabti highlights the fineness of its faience and the work added to the mold. Details could be reviewed with tools before firing; Minor differences between figurines do not always imply different molds, since wear, dirt or touch-ups also come into play. Here the right hand carries a pickaxe and the left hand carries a hoe next to the rope of the seed basket represented on the back. Nine lines of inscription surround the body and leave the rear pillar free. Tools and text visually distribute the agricultural duties of the funeral substitute.
Location and territory Physical world map with routes of human evolution Present-day world coastline from Natural Earth in an equirectangular projection. The overlaid markers let you explore each milestone. Map base: Natural Earth 1:110m · public domain · present-day reference coastline LOCATED SITE
Saqqara Egypt Necropolis marker. Where it is held Item or group in the record · Documented collection
Inventory 1942.647.
The holding institution is documented; public display may change. Check its official record before visiting.
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