Three antiquated artifacts that had been smuggled out of Egypt were discovered in the Netherlands, where two of them were being sold in an antiquities store, according to a statement released by Egyptian officials on Tuesday.
The Egyptian embassy in The Hague stated in a statement that among the artifacts recovered are a mummified head from the Hellenistic era, a porcelain funerary figurine from Egypt’s New Kingdom period (664-332 B.C.), and a portion of a wooden tomb with an inscription honoring the goddess Isis from 663-504 B.C. There were traces of hair and teeth on the head, which was discovered in good condition.
Once it was discovered that the figures and tomb components were being smuggled out of Egypt, they were confiscated by Dutch police and the Cultural Heritage Inspection Unit. The mummified head was given to local authorities by a Dutchman who had acquired it from a family member.
Egyptian police claim that the three relics were found during unlawful excavation and are therefore thought to have been stolen and trafficked. About the time that the objects were allegedly discovered and smuggled, no information was given.
Egypt is making a larger effort to halt the trafficking of stolen antiquities, which includes repatriation from the Netherlands. Since 2014, more than thirty thousand items have been found.
An old wooden sarcophagus that was on display at the Houston Museum of Natural Sciences was sent back to Egypt last year after US authorities discovered it had been trafficked some time ago.
