False door from the tomb of Pth-wash in Sakkara

False door from the tomb of Ptah-wash in Sakkara.
Old Kingdom c. 2430-2410 BC.
Height: 279 cm. Width: 184 cm.
Limestone.
False doors are found in a large number of graves from the Old Kingdom. The false door was a central part of the Egyptian mortuary cult. It marked the border between the world of the living and the world of the dead, a place where the living placed food offerings for their ancestors. On this door the titles of the deceased official Ptah-wash flank the central niche. Just above the niche, the deceased is depicted seated at his offering table, with food offerings laid out above the table.