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Collections / Ricerca / Egyptian Collection: Old Kingdom

False door stele of Sameri

The false door stele is an architectural element typical of the burials of the Old Kingdom (2705–2195 BC). Composed of an architrave, two or more lateral uprights and a central portion in the form of a rolled-up mat, it suggests the idea of a door that can be accessed only by the deceased, who can thus interact with the world of the living.

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Sameri, the member of a family of courtiers very close to the pharaoh, received this stele from his father Urkaptah and his relatives. Sameri is depicted on the lintel, seated with his mother Henutes in front of a table laden with food for the afterlife, and on the upright to the far left, where he is affectionately embracing his wife Khenut. This gesture and the structural characteristics of the stele allow us to date the monument to the late 5th dynasty.

Provenance: Saqqara (?) Palagi Collection
Datation: Late 5th dynasty (2520–2360 BC)
Material: Limestone
Dimensions: cm 173 x 98
Inventory #: KS 1901

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