During a ceremony at the Brussels Royal Museums of Art and History in the Jubel Park, the public prosecutor's office for the capital returned 2 Egyptian artefacts to the Egyptian authorities. The most striking piece is a 3,000-year-old sarcophagus intended for a wealthy Egyptian. The other item is a wooden beard. Brussels local police seized the 2 items 10 years ago after an Interpol alert.
The artefact that gets the most attention because of its size and lavish decoration is a wooden sarcophagus that dates from the Ptolemaic period, the 3rd or 4th century BCE. A sarcophagus is a large decorative container in which bodies were placed in ancient times.
The sarcophagus has an anthropomorphic shape, mirroring the mummified male deceased who was laid in it. The golden face and bluish hair are divine attributes indicating that the deceased had transformed into a form of the god Osiris, the ruler of the Egyptian underworld.
‘Wealthy individual’
The deceased undoubtedly belonged to Egypt's upper crust. The choice of materials and careful execution show exceptional know-how. Striking are the pieces of coloured glass in the eyes and pectorals, the large chest muscles, the gold elements and the fine carvings.
‘The deciphering of the hieroglyphics on the sarcophagus has revealed who lay inside,’ the prosecutor's spokesman explained. ‘The deceased is a man named Pa-di-Hor-pa-khered, which means “He who was given by Harpocrates”.’
Handing over to Egypt
Because of the deceased's nature and given his rank, the handover of the sarcophagus was made with due respect and dignity. It took place in the cloister of the Royal Museums, whose walls contain medieval tomb records. The location provided a special touch to the event where two tomb cultures met.
‘After 10 years of investigation and proceedings, it is truly an act of justice to return a part of the heritage taken from its country of origin,’ Brussels prosecutor Julien Moinil said.
After the ceremony, the items will be returned to Egypt in the diplomatic pouch.