Shabaka Stone
Monument Ancient Egyptian basalt slab engraved with funerary texts
A monumental inscribed slab from Egypt’s 25th Dynasty, the Shabaka Stone displays a lengthy hieroglyphic text and sits in the British Museum’s Egyptian collection. Museum visitors combine it with the Rosetta Stone and statuary on central Bloomsbury galleries.
The Shabaka Stone is an inscribed ancient Egyptian stone slab now held in the British Museum in London. The inscription preserves a theological text traditionally associated with the 25th Dynasty ruler Shabaka of Egypt.
The slab bears hieroglyphic text that has been studied by Egyptologists as a key statement of Memphite theology and cosmogony. The stone is displayed among the museum’s Egyptian collections and is referenced in discussions of Late Period textual preservation.
The inscription was carved in ancient Egypt and later moved into modern collections; scholarly work has focused on its language, provenance, and the religious doctrines it records. The slab is part of the corpus of monumental Egyptian inscriptions used to reconstruct ancient religious beliefs.
Geographically the object is located in the British Museum in central London, within the museum’s Egyptian antiquities galleries.
- Textual importance: The inscription on the stone preserves a theological and ritual text from ancient Egypt that is an important source for understanding Memphite religious ideas associated with the 25th Dynasty ruler Shabaka.
How to Get to Shabaka Stone #
The British Museum sits in Bloomsbury, central London-around a 5-10 minute walk from Tottenham Court Road or Holborn tube stations (Central and Northern lines). Numerous bus routes stop on Great Russell Street.
Tips for Visiting Shabaka Stone #
- See the Shabaka Stone in the Egyptian sculpture and reliefs galleries-ask museum staff for the current display room (it has been moved between rooms).
- Visit early or late on a Friday (when the British Museum opens late) to avoid the thick mid-day crowds in the Egyptian rooms.
- Pair the Shabaka Stone with a close look at the Memphis reliefs nearby to understand the Memphite theological program it preserves.
Best Time to Visit Shabaka Stone #
Best on weekday mornings or late Fridays when the museum is open late and galleries are quieter.
Weather & Climate near Shabaka Stone #
Shabaka Stone's climate is classified as Oceanic - Oceanic climate with mild summers (peaking in July) and cold winters (coldest in January). Temperatures range from 2°C to 23°C. Moderate rainfall (649 mm/year), distributed fairly evenly throughout the year.
January
January is the coolest month with highs of 8°C and lows of 2°C. The wettest month with 65 mm of rain and mostly overcast skies.
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February
February is cold with highs of 8°C and lows of 2°C. Moderate rainfall (41 mm) and mostly overcast skies.
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March
March is cold with highs of 11°C and lows of 3°C. Moderate rainfall (51 mm) and mostly overcast skies.
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April
April is cold with highs of 13°C and lows of 4°C. Moderate rainfall (48 mm) and mostly overcast skies.
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May
May is cool with highs of 18°C and lows of 8°C. Moderate rainfall (49 mm) and mostly overcast skies.
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June
June is cool with highs of 21°C and lows of 11°C. Moderate rainfall (56 mm) and mostly overcast skies.
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July
July is the warmest month with highs of 23°C and lows of 13°C. Moderate rainfall (44 mm) and mostly overcast skies.
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August
August is cool with highs of 23°C and lows of 13°C. Moderate rainfall (50 mm) and mostly overcast skies.
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September
September is cool with highs of 19°C and lows of 10°C. Moderate rainfall (58 mm) and mostly overcast skies.
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October
October is cool with highs of 15°C and lows of 8°C. Moderate rainfall (63 mm) and mostly overcast skies.
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November
November is cold with highs of 11°C and lows of 4°C. Moderate rainfall (63 mm) and mostly overcast skies.
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December
December is cold with highs of 8°C and lows of 3°C. Moderate rainfall (61 mm) and mostly overcast skies.
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