Jan Bartek – AncientPages.com – US Agents in Memphis have seized a precious ancient artifact. The 3,000-year-old Egyptian artifact was hidden in a canopic jar lid of a funeral deity named Imsety.

“Canopic jars were ritual vessels containing internal organs removed from the deceased’s body during mummification.

This pH๏τo provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection shows an ancient Egyptian artifact. Federal agents in Memphis have seized the potentially 3,000-year-old ancient Egyptian artifact that was shipped in from Europe. U.S. Customs and Border Protection says they intercepted the Egyptian canopic jar lid of the funeral deity named Imsety on Aug. 17, 2022. The jars were used to hold the internal organs of mummies. Credit: U.S. Customs and Border Protection via AP

Their name “canopies” comes from Canopus, an ancient Egyptian city in the Nile Delta, where they were first discovered. According to Strabo, Canopus was the pilot of a ship that belonged to King Menelaus of Sparta during the Trojan War.”

According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection the ancient object was shipped in from Europe on August 17.

The agency says the item was sent from a dealer to a private buyer in the U.S., and the shipper made contradicting statements about its value.

Experts at the University of Memphis Insтιтute of Egyptian Art and Archaeology helped determine the artifact’s authenticity. The agency says the lid is likely from 1069 B.C. to 653 B.C.

Authorities say 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 ᴀssociated Press reports.

Written by Jan Bartek – AncientPages.com Staff Writer

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