It’s Thursday, and time for another door. This week, I have a very very old door. It currently lives in The British Museum, London, but over four millennia ago was part of someone’s tomb. This is the false-door of Ptashepses.
Made from limestone around 2380BC, the door is of a type common in tombs of that period, and was excavated in Saqquara, Egypt. The heiroglyphics state that Ptashepses was the High Priest of Ptah, and one of the royal children during the reigns of Menkaure and Shepseskaf in the Fourth Dynasty. The door stands over three and a half metres high, and is in the Egyptian Hall at the Museum, along with other wonderful artifacts, including the Rosetta Stone.
As a bonus, here is one of the exterior Museum doors with a very imperious looking lion standing guard.
I know this is a doorway, rather than a door, but I rather liked the quote above it. Very appropriate considering the surroundings, which is why I suppose they chose it.
Finally, a shot of the interior Great Court, and the lovely glass roof.
This was my response to the Thursday Doors Challenge, courtesy of Norm 2.0. For more doors, or to add one of your own, visit Norm’s site and click the link.
If you enjoyed this post and want to read more, you can find me on Twitter @AuthorHelenJ, Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest. Plus my latest book release, A Thousand Rooms, is now available on Amazon.
Helen Glynn Jones 
Ooh, lovely to see this again!
It was a lovely day out, wasn’t it? Hope we can do it again soon 😀
Love the lion’s crossed paws. 😀
Thanks 🙂 I like his slightly snooty expression, too.
I’m so glad you posted today. I always love your wisdom. 👱
Aw, you’re sweet – thanks Kristin xx
Well done Helen. I do believe that is the oldest door ever to be posted for Thursday Doors 🙂
Thanks, Norm 🙂 I was a bit surprised by how old it was – don’t think I’ll be able to top that one!
I think I’d rather have a tomb than a grave. I’d need a cat flap in my door though, you know so cats could come visit. That’s ok, right?
I’m sure that would be totally fine, especially with the Egyptians – they did love their cats 🙂 I think a tomb would be rather nice too. A bit grand. Has this conversation taken a morbid turn haha?
Nothing morbid about planning lol
This is true 😀
It’s difficult to see the door which is, I guess, the idea. Some years ago, our younger daughter and I spend some time at the Museum. She was appalled at how many ancient things were out where people could touch them. Not that one doesn’t want to touch, but the wearing down aspect is what we thought about.
janet
Yes, it’s really wonderful in one way because you are so close to so many wonderful things, rather than them being locked away behind glass. But the downside of course is people wanting to touch them and the resulting depredation. However, most people do seem fairly respectful, which is a good thing.
And I agree, the door is a suggestion rather than something more obvious – it’s interesting. The Egyptians had a lot of spiritual lore attached to the idea of doorways, so I suppose that’s part of why this was in a tomb.