46. Ushabti of King Taharqa

Pharaoh Taharqa (or Taharqo) was a son of Piye, and well-known in antiquity for defeating the Assyrians in the Near East (ca. 674 BCE). He is mentioned in the Bible, as ‘Tirhakah’. In its zenith, the Kushite kingdom extended from Upper Nubia to the Mediterranean. Taharqa carried out an ambitious construction program, and was instrumental in the expansion of Amun-Ra’s cult in Nubia. Thousands of similar ushabtis were discovered in his tomb, all placed standing around the interior walls. A version of Chapter 6 in the Book of the Dead was inscribed on all of them. The inscription prompts the figurine to eagerly respond to any work demand made of the king so that he may rest in peace forever. The mummiform, Osiride figure is wearing the khat headdress with the royal uraeus, and a beard of divinity. He is holding two agricultural hoes and two ropes connected to grain baskets on the backside. These elements assert Taharqa’s divinity as ruler of the underworld and creator god, and his capacity to ensure cosmic order and sustenance for both the dead and the living.