A potentially 3,000-year-old canopic jar was found as it was being smuggled through the city.
While Memphis, TN has plenty of landmarks paying homage to its ancient Egyptian namesake, federal officials were likely not expecting to find a potentially 3,000-year-old ancient Egyptian artifact being smuggled through the city.
The artifact, according to The Jerusalem Post is an Egyptian canopic jar lid of the funeral deity named Imsety, had been declared as an antique stone sculpture over 100 years old and had been sent from a dealer in Europe to a private buyer in the US. Canopic jars were used to hold the internal organs of mummies, with Imsety specifically protecting the deceased’s liver.
In ancient Egyptian theology, Imsety was one of the four sons of Horus and was represented with a human-headed figure.
To read more of the story visit the Jerusalem Post: https://www.jpost.com/omg/article-715728
