Belgium Returns 3000-Year-Old Wooden Sarcophagus to Egypt After a Decade

After nearly 10 years in custody, Belgian authorities have officially returned an ancient wooden sarcophagus to Egypt. The artifact, dating back to the Ptolemaic period (4th–3rd century BCE), was handed over to Egypt’s ambassador, H.E. Ahmed Abu Zeid, in Brussels during a formal ceremony attended by officials from the Belgian Public Prosecutor’s Office on Friday 11 July. The sarcophagus was originally seized in 2015 after Interpol issued a notice at the request of the Egyptian judiciary. It had been kept at the Royal Museums of Art and History in Brussels during the course of the investigation. Also returned was a wooden artifact believed to represent a ceremonial beard, typically associated with pharaonic iconography. The most prominent piece is an anthropomorphic wooden sarcophagus. Adorned with a golden face and bluish hair, symbols of divine transformation, the coffin was intended to house a mummified elite male who was symbolically deified as Osiris, god of the underworld. Hieroglyphic inscriptions on the coffin identified the deceased as Pa-di-Hor-pa-khered, which translates to “He who was given by Harpokrates,” confirming his elevated status in ancient Egyptian society. According to officials, the sarcophagus features gilded detailing, finely engraved woodwork, and inlays of colored glass in the eyes
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