False door

A false door is the image of a door which is carved into the rock or painted on a wall. Most false doors are painted in bright colors and richly decorated. The idea of ​​the false door is found in many cultures, in ancient Egypt as the Neolithic builders of Cotswold -Severn tombs, among the Etruscans ( for example in Viterbo ) and Sardinian rock tombs ( Domus de Janas ). Also Urartian temple as Meher Kapisi have false doors.

Megalithic

Some megaliths of the Cotswolds Severn type have false doors at the front of the hill, where usually was the access to the chamber, behind which, however, is no grave chamber at those facilities. In Sardinia is false doors found in the Domus de Janas Rock tombs, for example in Mesu ' s Montes and the Chalcolithic necropolis of Montessu.

In ancient Egypt,

The Egyptians believed in a life after death. In ancient Egyptian mythology, the performances were anchored, that the soul of the dead ( the Ka) can pass through the false door in the here and now. In ancient Egypt, several variants of the false doors are in use; such as the center supports false doors ( from the New Kingdom ), pageantry false doors or naturalistic false doors.

Among the Romans

Even in Roman painting false doors were represented. From Pompeii few examples are known where frescoes on the walls mimic doors and so rooms should make it appear larger.

In modern architecture

In modern architecture, the false door has its place. It is used for simulation of the doors ( or windows ) in order to achieve symmetry in the space. For example, in the ancestral hall of the castle of Rastatt or the Villa Godi Valmarana, in Veneto.