Kings’ And Queens’ Afterlife In Ancient Sudan

The Shawabti of Aspelta, created between 690-650 BC in Sudan, is a small mummified funerary figurine that is meant to represent a servant that will do the labour work for the deceased Kushite Kings and Queens in the afterlife. This figurine originated from Nuri, Sudan and is now located in the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Canada. Through the process of researching and analyzing this petite sculpture, I learned about the belief that life continues after death. During this time period, many of the artifacts created were for funerary purposes and used to prepare the deceased Kings and Queens for the celebrated afterlife.

Since this Shawabti was used to honour the death of King Aspelta, each detail in this figurine was carefully selected to properly portray the image of the person who would serve the King in the afterlife. The Shawabti is holding hoes, and a dirt basket and has the name of the King Aspelta. This is the way in which the artist chose to show that this figure was to not only serve but protect the King whom he was dedicated to. The shape of the figurine was wisely made to be similar to that of the Egyptian mummies to show the viewers that this is artifact is a part of the practices involving the deceased. The blank eyes of the Shawabti gives the viewers a sense of soullessness and the impression it has passed along with the Aspelta. From another perspective, viewers may also feel as though this is a symbolization of the figurine surrounding its “soul” to the nobel leader, as the figurine shows forfeit to the King in his eyes. Furthermore, the color palette the artist chose to use is a polychrome color scheme of royalty such as blue, red, yellow, and green. Even so, many of these colors had deeper meanings to them. At the time, in this region, people associated red with life but also destruction, as it was known as blood and fire. As ancient Sudan and Egypt believed that life should be celebrated, the use of black not only symbolizes death and grief, it was also used as a sign of life and resurrection. Due to King Aspelta’s many contributions to their society, I believe that people grieved his death but although ironically, celebrated it because of their beliefs of the continuation of life. The composition of the carefully selected elements of this Shawabti makes this artifact very visually appealing and intrigues viewers.

When looking at all the aspects that make up this sculpture, I came to the conclusion that this sculpture is a strong representation of the optimistic ideas surrounding death. Though the physical attributes interests the viewers greatly, the deeper meaning behind the creation of this figurine are much more interesting. Through examining these artifacts, it can be concluded that the importance of the process was a crucial part of the culture. The practice of utilizing Shawabtis originated from Egyptian culture, and was brought over to Sudan. While browsing through the museum, I found that the Canopic Jars conveyed the same message as the Shawabti. The Canopic Jar contained the lungs, liver, stomach, and intestines of the deceased. This was a way to preserve these prime organs. Through the learning of both the Canopic Jar and the Shawabti, I came to an understanding that the afterlife is a sacred aspect of both Sudan and Egypt. Upon analyzing the physical and conceptual aspects of this Shawbti, I believe that the people who lived in ancient Sudan created Shawabtis to act upon their beliefs of life continuing on into the afterlife. The ways Ancient Sudan preserved death showed me a new perspective on how death can be viewed, as our society is fearful of death. I think that this is a very valuable artifact as it can teach people today that the mysteries of the afterlife could be positive.