False Door of Neferiu

This is another beautiful 𓄤 example of a False Door from the Old Kingdom or First Intermediate Period (8th-11th Dynasty). This False Door belonged to the Royal Sealer 𓅓𓂋𓋩𓏏 Neferiu 𓄤𓂻𓅱. A Royal Sealer 𓅓𓂋𓋩𓏏 had a job similar to that of a treasurer 𓋨𓅱!

Let’s read some Hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪!

This is the top line of text:
𓇓𓏏𓊵𓏙𓁹𓊨𓀭𓎟𓊽𓂧𓅱𓊖𓉓𓂋𓈖𓐍𓄪𓅱𓄤𓂻𓅱

𓇓𓏏𓊵𓏙 – an offering the king gives
𓁹𓊨𓀭 – Osiris
𓎟𓊽𓂧𓅱𓊖 – Lord of Djedu
𓉓 – a voice offering
𓂋 – before
𓈖 – to/for
𓐍𓄪𓅱 – the revered
𓄤𓂻𓅱- Neferiu

All together the inscription reads: “An offering the King gives Osiris, Lord of Djedu, a voice offering before and to the revered Neferiu.”

This is the second line of text:
𓇓𓏏𓊵𓏙𓃣𓁶𓏺𓈋𓆑𓏶𓅱𓏏𓐏 𓉓𓂋𓈖𓄤𓂻𓅱

𓇓𓏏𓊵𓏙 – an offering the king gives
𓃣 – Anubis
𓁶𓏺𓈋𓆑 – upon his mountain
𓏶𓅱𓏏𓐏 – in the mummy wrappings
𓉓 – a voice offering
𓂋 – before
𓈖 – to/for
𓄤𓂻𓅱 – Neferiu

All together the inscription reads: “An offering the king gives Anubis, Upon His Mountain, in the mummy wrappings, a voice offering before and to Neferiu.”

These two 𓏻 inscriptions 𓏟𓏛𓏥 are very common and are the standard “offering formula” (with some minor variations) that are used in many False Doors and Stela 𓎗𓅱𓆓𓉸. In the second picture 𓏏𓅱𓏏, I zoomed in on the part with Anubis 𓃣 because he is my favorite and I always get excited when I see his name 𓂋𓈖! Just the determinative symbol for Anubis 𓃣 instead of his full name (𓇋𓈖𓊪𓅱𓃣) was used in this inscription 𓏟𓏛𓏥 probably due to a lack of space!

Now let’s read the text that is in the middle panel of the false door! These two 𓏻 pieces of text basically say what a great person Neferiu 𓄤𓂻𓅱 was and it also lists all of the wonderful things he did in his life! I did not write out all of the hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪 this time because it was too long! Please enjoy the translation though!

Let’s read some Hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪! This is the translation of the inscription on the left side: “I gave bread 𓏏𓏐 to the hungry 𓎛𓈎𓂋𓅩𓀁 and clothes 𓎛𓃀𓋴𓅱𓋳𓏦 to the 𓈖 naked 𓄿𓎛𓇌𓋳𓀁. I drove the boatless in my boat. I gave property to someone I knew as well as to the one I did not. The seal-bearer 𓋨𓅱 of the King of Lower Egypt 𓆤, the sole companion, the revered 𓄪𓐍 Neferiu 𓄤𓂻𓅱.”

This is the text on the right side: “O the living 𓇋𓀞𓋹, those who are upon the Earth 𓇾, who love life 𓋹𓈖𓐍, I gave assistance to those in the year 𓂋𓈖𓆳𓏏𓏤 of hardship. I acted mightily with my strong arm in order to endure among my children. It is Iqer* who did it that I might become greater than the great 𓅩𓂋 ones and the noblemen…of my entire town, who bore witness to me.”
*Iqer is a local deity or the name of a place near Dendera

On the bottom, next to Neferiu 𓄤𓂻𓅱 and his wife 𓈟𓏏 on both sides the hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪 say:
𓈟𓏏𓌸𓂋𓏏𓆑𓌉𓃀𓆓𓏏 or “His 𓆑 beloved 𓌸𓂋 wife 𓈟𓏏 Wedjbet 𓈟𓏏.”