MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Federal agents in Memphis have seized an ancient Egyptian artifact shipped from Europe that experts contend could be 3,000 years old.
The package, which was shipped from a dealer to a private buyer in the United States, was manifested as a more than 100-year-old antique stone sculpture.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers intercepted the Egyptian canopic jar lid of the funeral deity named Imsety on Aug. 17. The jars were used to hold the internal organs of mummies.
Subject matter experts at the University of Memphis Institute of Egyptian Art and Archaeology verified the artifact’s authenticity, deducing that the lid is likely from the Egyptian Third Intermediate Period, which ran from 1069-653 B.C., making the artifact potentially 3,000 years old, the agency stated in a news release.
The agency also stated that the shipper made contradicting statements about the item’s value.
Meanwhile, authorities contend that the item is protected by bilateral treaties and is an archaeological import subject to seizure under the Convention on Cultural Property Implementation Act of 1983. The artifact was turned over to Homeland Security Investigations for further examination.
- The Associated Press contributed to this report.