Passageway for ka
Egyptian tombs often contain a “false door,” a sacred portal that the ka or life force of the dead can travel through to pass from the tomb to the afterlife. Family members recite prayers and praise of the dead in front of this door and leave sustaining food and drink. The photo at the top shows a beautiful example (wiki). According to an intriguing article in Archaeology Magazine entitled “Magical Mystery Door” one such excavated stela “doorway” has a complicated history.
A Sacred Portal for a Woman
Most of the sacred portal stelas now in museums mention a dedication to men. Of the 680 known ones, only 101 mention women. The limestone “false door” discussed in Archaeology is among these select few, for a priestess named Hemi-Ra. She is shown in her prime seated at a table with offerings to the gods. She is also carved as a young girl and an old woman. That range of depictions is startlingly unusual–suspiciously so. (Go to the article to see the copyrighted photos.) Furthermore, some of the figures have full frontal breasts, but also the wide stance and closed fists used for men in Egyptian art of this time. (First Intermediate Period ca. 2150–2030 B.C.) The original red pigment, which magnification reveals, is completely missing in a few key spots.
The Mystery of Who did What and When to this Sacred Portal
So, who messed with this stela and when? There just might be some ancient thriftiness and some modern salesmanship involved. Go to the article for more on this illuminating story about an otherwise innocuous museum piece. It reminds us to wonder what hidden tale lies behind any given ancient artifact.
For a post about the political and magical properties of Egyptian Cartouches.