EGYPT: Hair taken from ancient Egyptian King's Pharaoh Rameses II mummy goes on show in Egypt after being saved from sale on the Internet.

Record ID: 644610

  • Title: EGYPT: Hair taken from ancient Egyptian King's Pharaoh Rameses II mummy goes on show in Egypt after being saved from sale on the Internet.
  • Date: 11th April 2007
  • Summary: TOURISTS OUTSIDE EGYPTIAN MUSEUM
  • Embargoed: 26th April 2007 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Egypt
  • Country: Egypt
  • Topics: History,Light / Amusing / Unusual / Quirky
  • Reuters ID: LVADMK1KM75F5V0BZSZ2K3B4SXPL
  • Story Text: Egypt's Culture Minister announces the return from France of hair and other materials taken from the mummy of Pharaoh Rameses II and offered for sale on the internet.
    Strands of hair and other objects taken from the mummies of the Pharaoh Rameses II and his son were put on display in the Egyptian museum on Tuesday (April 10) after being returned from France after the son of a French laboratory worker tried to sell them on the internet.
    The return of the objects, which included five single hairs, a lock of hair, samples of resin and linen bandages was praised by Egypt's Culture Minister and head of Antiquities at a news conference in the Egyptian Museum as a triumph for Egypt's ongoing efforts to prevent the theft of its antiquities.
    The objects were taken from the mummy of Rameses II and his son Merneptah when they were in France for treatment in 1976 and put on the internet for sale in November 2006 by the son of one of the members of the French scientific team.
    After an investigation by French authorities an Egyptian archaeological team flew to France and brought the objects back to Egypt on April 2nd
    Egypt's Culture Minister, Farouk Hosni, said that cooperation from the French government had been a key to the safe return of the items.
    "Really, the Council of Antiquities and Dr. Zahi Hawass took all steps to bring back these pieces at any price. There is no doubt that they had very good cooperation and reaction from the French authorities, because the French authorities considered it very important to maintain a good image in front of the Egyptians," he said.
    The man who tried to sell the objects on the internet had said he obtained the relics from his deceased father, who worked in the laboratory entrusted with analysing and restoring the mummy. He had offered to provide certificates of authenticity to buyers.
    French archaeologists reacted with horror to news that the hairs were on sale and French authorities arrested the suspected seller in November.
    Dr. Zahi Hawass, the Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Egyptian Antiquities, said the scientist who took the objects home had been at fault.
    "The illegal thing that happened, that the professor who did the study took the hair samples and put it at his home, and this is how his son began to sell this hair to the public. We have, we have to thank the French government by cooperating with us, and we have to say that this is maybe very important pieces to return the smell even of Rameses the second back."
    Rameses II, also known as Rameses the Great, was born around 1304 BC and ruled Egypt for more than 60 years during the 19th dynasty of pharaohs. He is traditionally believed to be the pharaoh mentioned in the biblical story of Moses.
    The mummy was discovered in 1881 and shortly afterwards moved to Cairo's Egyptian Museum. In the early 1970s authorities noticed his body was deteriorating and sent it to Paris, where it was treated for a fungal infection.
    Dr. Hawass said today that seeing pieces of one of Egypt's greatest rulers up for auction on the internet had been a great shock.
    "I mean when I heard about it on the internet I was so upset - how this, how the hair of the mummy of the great, of the greatest king of Egypt can be sold on the internet? And I did react right away by sending all these letters, and I did follow up every step until I found that the French authorities were really keen in taking this man and putting him to court and after that decided, the court in Grenoble decided to return this to us back. This is why we sent Ahmed Saleh to Paris and he met with our cultural attaché who gave him the pieces and he came back with the pieces and we were so happy today to say that the smell of our king is back," he said.
    Dr. Hawass said the hair and other objects will now be put on display beside the mummies of Rameses II and his son, and that a note would be posted next to it telling the dramatic tale of their loss and eventual return.
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