Egypt has demanded that the sale of a 3000-year-old carving of an ancient boy King which is to be auctioned by Christies Auction House is Cancelled.
The bust expected to go on sale in London today is 28cm and worth £4 million alongside 31 other Egyptian Artefacts. The auction house expressed their reservation about not having any prior concerns expressed over the ancient carving in the past despite its public exhibitions in the past.
Christies went on to publish the chronology of the Relic for the past 50 years and in a statement, disclosed as below
“The object is not, and has not been, the subject of an investigation.”
However, Egypt’s former antiquities minister Zahi Hawass disclosed to the AFP that it is believed that the artefact was stolen from the Karnak Temple after 1970 along with other artefacts.
The ancient boy king who died at 19 has recently had his tomb restored to prevent damages by visitors in what took a 9 year period. New barriers will now restrict direct access to the paintings.
Tutankhamun’s tomb is the only archaeological tomb dating from the 1550BC – 1069BC pharaonic New Kingdom era to have been found fully intact and provides deep insight into the practices of that Era.