The Brooklyn Museum possesses numerous displays on ancient Egypt with lots of focus on depiction of the Egyptian’s fixation with death and the afterlife. In the days of ancient Egypt it was believed that the afterlife (Kingdom of the Dead) is the continuation of an individuals mind, memories, and essentially their entire soul. The ancient Egyptian view on death and rebirth is a topic that intrigues many and noticed to attract some of the largest crowds to the museum. Among various artifacts on display, which stood out as particularly intriguing, was a coffin of a Shabty. Shabty, in particular, applies to figurines that have found to be inscribed with chapter six of the Book of the Dead with a specific spell which made them answer when the dead was called to work. Essentially, a Shabty is a small figurine in adult male or female form inscribed with a special “instruction” and is depicted to represent the function declared within its spell to carry out physical/manual tasks on behalf of a the deceased. The name 'Shabty' means 'answerer'.

In ancient Egypt, its citizens were obligated to annually dedicate a certain portion of their time to labor for the various projects the Pharaoh had appointed. If, for whatever reason, an individual could not fulfill his obligation, he would be able to send someone else to work in his place - but he was allowed to do so only do so only once. Since the Egyptians believed that the after-life to be a continuation of its earthly existence it was believed that Osiris (God of the Dead) had his own projects commenced therefore the function of the Shabty was then to 'answer' for the dead when they were called upon for work. Starting from the New Kingdom (1550-1070 BCE) and going forward it was expected from the dead to partake within the maintenance of the 'Field of Reeds', where they lived for all eternity. By this, it means that they were expected to undertake agricultural labor (ploughing, sowing, reaping the crops, etc). The Shabty figure was regarded as a servant figure that would carry out heavy work on behalf of the deceased. Prior to the 18th Dynasty Shabty's were mostly mummy form, but during the reign of Tuthmosis IV, they were now starting to be designed as servants holding various agricultural tools. Each Shabty doll was hand-carved to depict the task the Shabty spell described. These “dolls” were now shown holding some type of agricultural tool or related objects, depending on what task was needed to be done. Generally Shabty's were made out of wood, clay or sometimes wax. Some Shabty were made out of enamel which were very exquisite in form, and in color. These figurines were later made out of less perishable materials such as metal, glass, stone and often, out of a material called faience which is glazed earthenware. The Shabty's that were created for the rich were usually miniature works of unique art, while the cheaply made Shabty's showed little detail as they were standardized and created from single molds.

The number of Shabty's buried with the dead varies greatly and is found to increase over time. In the earlier periods there were very sparse but at the turn of the 21st Dynasty there may have been be as many as 401, consisting of 365 laborers for each day of the year, and 36 of its overseers, all presented in boxes created especially to hold all of the figurines. The ancient Egyptians identified the length of the year and through of the night by observing 36 groups of stars that changed every ten days, so the arrangement of 365 workers and 36 overseers was all astronomically calculated. During this period it appeared that Shabty were regarded more so as slaves than as workers or servants for the dead. The “overseers” of the laborers would be depicted with kilts – an attire that was traditionally worn by higher officials, holding whips. In the Late Period the Shabtys were still being placed in tombs but the “overseer” figurine no longer appeared. The reason behind the shift that made the “overseer” figurine obsolete still remains unknown however thereon-after Shabty dolls re-acquired their previous status as workers and were continued to be placed in tombs to carry out their owner’s labor obligations in the after-life. In our modern times the number of dolls discovered in excavated tombs has helped archaeologists figure out the status of the tomb’s owner. Some of the poorest of tombs found did not contain any Shabty's at all however even the modest sized tomb usually contained a few while there have been discoveries of tombs containing a Shabty for every day of the year. The ancient Egyptians had profound concerns for the Beyond, or life after death. Death was not look at as the end of someone's life, it was instead considered to be an essential process that an individual has to go through in order to reach a dimension in which he will remain in complete blissfulness for all eternity. The Egyptians went to great lengths to secure the survival of their souls after death, building tombs and leaving within goods and other offerings to preserve the body and soul of the dead. This obsessive preoccupation of life, death and the after-life by the ancient Egyptians provided Egypt with some of its biggest industries. Although the production of funerary statuettes was a relatively small industry, it was most definitely one of the most essential components of it.