Imesy coffin returns to Egypt

Zahi Hawass has posted an account of the return of the coffin of Imesy that had been seized in Miami. It had been handled by a galerista from Barcelona.

The story of this coffin began about two years ago, when a man from Barcelona brought this coffin to Miami with agricultural products. When the agricultural inspector began to look closely at the shipment, he saw an ancient Egyptian coffin. He informed the Department of Homeland Security, and they began to investigate the issue. The man was unable to provide documentation that the coffin had left Egypt legally, the earliest public record of it was when it was exhibited in Madrid in 2007. The SCA began legal proceedings with the assistance of a lawyer from Miami who took the case pro-bono. I would very much like to thank him for his helping prepare a court case to return this treasure to its home. However, when the Spanish man found out that the SCA intended to go to court, he withdrew his case. The US Department of Homeland Security decided that the coffin should be repatriated to Egypt.

Hawass has also announced an exhibition on "Repatriated Artefacts" (May 2010) that will showcase some of the more significant pieces that have been returned to Egypt.

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