A Egyptian faience ushabti figure with arms crossed over the chest, holding pick and hoe. The ushabti also called shabti or shawabti was a funerary figurine used in ancient Egyptian funerary practices. Ushabtis were placed in tombs among the grave goods and were intended to act as servants or minions for the deceased, should they be called upon to do manual labor in the afterlife. They carried inscriptions asserting their readiness to answer the gods summons to work. Museum pieces, Ancient and Antique Egyptian Stone Wares For Collectors.