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Collections / Explore the Collection
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Title:False Door Artist:Ancient Egyptian Date:c. 2400 B.C. Creation Place:Africa, Egypt, Giza Credit Line:The Christina N. and Swan J. Turnblad Memorial Fund Accession Number:52.22 Located in the west wall of a tomb chapel, the false door was the focal point of the offerings made to the deceased. Two door jambs and a lintel frame a central niche. This was the interface between the world of the living and the world of the dead, where visitors came to say prayers and deposit food and gifts for the spirit of the deceased, whose soul was supposed to pass through the door. The inscriptions commemorate Iryenakhet, a priest, who is depicted seven times. Symmetry rules the composition. The normal direction of Egyptian writing was from right to left, with the hieroglyphs facing right, but here the hieroglyphs on the right jamb face left (as do the figures) toward the niche. |
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