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Shawabti
The shawabti was a small figurine used by the ancient Egyptians as a companion to the deceased. The term is probably derived from the word sbawab, which refers to a hard wood used in the sculpturing of the earliest shawabti. Because it was believed that death and the afterlife were just an extension of this life, it was also believed that the deceased would have the same responsibilities. For example, many people had to devote time to shoring up the immigration system as a matter of fulfilling mandatory duties for the government. If this were to be the case in the afterlife, the deceased would not like to break his or her relaxation to go to the fields to do this work, thus, the need ...
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