shabtis 369the Nile near KOPTOS. The text was in separate boxes,
guarded by reptiles. Setna realized that such knowledge
was dangerous and better left hidden.
Set-Qesu He was an ancient Egyptian demon depicted
in scenes of the JUDGMENT HALLS OF OSIRISin mortuary
works. Called “the crusher of bones,” Set-Qesu carried
out any punishments decreed by Osiris and his fellow
judges against the unworthy deceased.
See also FORTY-TWO JUDGES.
Seven Hathors Divine beings who played the role of
the Greek Fates in Egypt, they could tell the future and
knew the moment of death for each Egyptian. Because a
person’s destiny depended upon the hour of his or her
birth or death and the luck or ill-fortune connected with
it, the Seven Hathors were believed to exchange any
prince born under unfavorable auspices with a more for-
tunate child, thus protecting the dynasty and the nation.
The Egyptians were greatly concerned with the lucky or
unlucky fate of individuals.
See also TREE OF HEAVEN.
Sewew The Egyptian name for the coastal area on the
Red Sea, Sewew was opposite KOPTOSon the WADI GASUS
and was the region of KUSER, the active expeditionary
port. The Egyptians used the regional resources of Sewew
to maintain elaborate shipbuilding programs for expedi-
tions to PUNTand other trade enterprises.
Sha’at-er-Reqal It was a site on SAL ISLANDin Nubia
(modern Sudan), where SETI I (r. 1306–1290 B.C.E.)
fought the Irem people and founded a new administrative
base for the VICEROYof Nubia. Amenemope, the viceroy
in that era, erected two stelae to commemorate Seti I’s
victory. It contains rock inscriptions dating to the reign of
MONTUHOTEP II(2061–2010 B.C.E.). The inscriptions con-
cern Montuhotep II and his mother, Queen AOH, the con-
sort of INYOTEF IIIof Thebes. The Shaat-er-Reqal text
commemorates the campaign conducted by the pharaoh
against WAWAT, a northern region of Nubia.
Shabaka (Neferkaré)(d. 698 B.C.E.)Founder of the
Nubian Twenty-Fifth Dynasty, which ruled all of Egypt and
Nubia
He reigned from 712 B.C.E. until his death. Shabaka was
the son of the Nubian ruler KASHTAand Queen PEBATMA
and was originally called Sabacon. He ruled all of Egypt
and NUBIA, succeeding PIANKHI(1). In his first years he
had to put down rebels in Nubia and in the Delta.
Shabaka captured BAKENRENEF(r. 717–712 B.C.E.) of the
Twenty-fourth Dynasty at SAISand burned him to death.
He ruled in MEMPHIS, making that ancient site the
capital again, and restored the SERAPEUM in SAQQARA.
Shebaka built at KARNAKand MEDINET HABU. He also
aided the temple sites in THEBES, MEMPHIS, ABYDOS, DEN-
DERAH, ESNA, and EDFU. Shabaka encouraged the Pales-
tinians in their revolt against Syria. He urged the
Egyptians to return to the worship of AMUNand the other
deities.
He had two daughters and two sons, Haremakhet
and Tanutamun. Haremakhet was made high priest of
Amun in Thebes. Shabaka was buried at el-Kurru, south
of GEBEL BARKALbetween the third and fourth cataracts of
the Nile in Nubia. He was succeeded on the throne of
Egypt by SHEBITKU, the son of Piankhi.Shabaka Stone This was a religious monument also
called the Stela of MEMPHIS, one of the most important
religious texts of the Late Period. The stone dates to the
reign of SHABAKA(712–698 B.C.E.). He found a sacred
papyrus concerning spiritual and creation themes being
eaten by worms in a Memphis temple and had the text
transferred to a basalt slab. The stone represents the doc-
trines of the temple of PTAH. With the decline of Egypt,
the Shabaka Stone was eventually lost, becoming a
farmer’s millstone. It was recovered in the area of the for-
mer capital.shabtis (shawabtis, ushabtis) The ancient miniature
tomb figures of Egypt, called “the Answerer,” these fig-
ures were part of the mortuary regalia, placed in TOMBSto
act as proxies or substitutes for the deceased in TUAT, the
land beyond the grave. It was believed that the shabtis
would perform any and all labors demanded of the
deceased in the afterlife. SETI I(r. 1306–1290 B.C.E.) had
700 shabtisin his tomb sites.
These mortuary substitute figures were fashioned out
of wood and then out of faience, metals, clay, or stone.
Nobles and royals kept one figure in the tomb for eachThe shabtisin the burial chamber of King Tut’ankhamun
Tut’ankhamun and now in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.
(S. M. Bunson.)