False Door of Bateti

This is the False Door of a man 𓊃𓀀𓏤 named Bateti 𓃀𓂝𓏍𓏏𓏏𓇋 who was an official during the 5th Dynasty (2494-2345 B.C.E.). This particular False Door is interesting because it shows Bateti 𓃀𓂝𓏍𓏏𓏏𓇋 emerging from it – the statue 𓄚𓈖𓏏𓏭𓀾 served as a vessel for his soul 𓂓 to pass through the door. This False Door stood in the chapel of his mastaba tomb 𓇋𓐫𓊃𓉐. The False Door remains unfinished and his name 𓂋𓈖 should be carved above the statue 𓄚𓈖𓏏𓏭𓀾, but only two 𓏻 hieroglyphic symbols were carved.

Bateti’s full name: 𓃀𓂝𓏍𓏏𓏏𓇋

What appears on the False Door: 𓏍𓏏𓏏 (the “𓏏𓏏” has been fully carved but the “𓏍” has only been sketched on to the limestone 𓇋𓈖𓈙𓌉).

False Doors are an extremely important part of ancient Egyptian funerary practices. False Doors served as ways for the living relatives to make offerings 𓊵𓏏𓊪𓏏𓏔𓏦 to the deceased 𓅓𓏏𓏱. The offerings 𓊵𓏏𓊪𓏏𓏔𓏦 usually consisted of food 𓇬𓀁𓅱𓏔𓏥- bread 𓏐 and beer 𓏊 were two common ones! The False Door acted as a link between the land of the living and the land of the dead. The ancient Egyptians 𓆎𓏏𓀀𓁐𓏪 believed that the soul 𓂓 of the deceased 𓅓𓏏𓏱 could travel between the two lands 𓇿𓇿 through the False Door. They are also known as “ka 𓂓 doors” or “soul 𓂓 doors.”

False Doors were usually located on the western 𓋀𓏏𓏭 walls of tombs 𓇋𓐫𓊃𓉐𓏦 because the west 𓋀𓏏𓏏𓈊 is associated with the dead 𓅓𓏏𓏱. The west 𓋀𓏏𓏏𓈊 is associated with the dead 𓅓𓏏𓏱 because the sun 𓇳𓏺 sets in the west 𓋀𓏏𓏏𓈊 – when Ra 𓇳𓏺𓁛 makes his daily journey across the sky 𓊪𓏏𓇯, sunset 𓇋𓐍𓐍𓅱𓇶 is representative of his death.

𓏙𓋹𓊽𓌀