A stone sculpture that arrived in Memphis, Tennessee earlier this month was found to be a centuries-old artifact from Egypt. After the object was properly identified, it was confiscated, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials. statement from the agency.
Documents for the artifact, which arrived from Europe on August 17, show the object is more than 100 years old. It was sent from a dealer to a private buyer within the United States, the statement said.
However, after consulting with the University of Memphis’ Egyptian Institute of Art and Archaeology, CBP officials determined the ancient artifact was authentic — it may be 3,000 years old, the statement said.
According to the statement, the object was an “Egyptian canopy jar lid for a funeral deity named Imsety.” The jars usually contained the mummy’s guts — in this case, Imseti’s liver.Authorities believe it was made between 1069 BC and 653 BC
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
CBP said in a statement that its officials confiscated the jar after determining it was protected by a bilateral treaty as well as a 1983 law “restricting the importation of certain archaeological and ethnological materials into the country.”
In addition, the statement said the shipper “made conflicting representations about the declared value of the item,” which led to the seizure.
The jar was turned over to Homeland Security Investigations, which will conduct further inspections, CBP said.
Sophie Reardon
