Thursday 5 November 2015

Damiata Seizure - Antiquities on the way to Asian Market


The archaeological unit at Damietta port succeeded in foiling the smuggling of a collection of 1124 stolen artefacts to Thailand - which if the articles are real antiquities would make this one of the largest smuggling antiquities case from the country in recent years: Nevine El-Aref, 'Smuggling bid foiled: 1124 Egyptian artefacts recovered before heading to Thailand' Al Ahram 5th Nov 2015.
The objects were hidden inside four wooden parcels filled with toilet paper. The parcels were to be shipped to Thailand through Damietta harbour. Among them, he said, was a collection of alabaster pots, wooden and stone statues, a collection of funerary masks, usabti figurines, offering tables, headrests and part of pillar. Until now, nobody knows from where these objects were stolen from but investigations will uncover the circumstances.
At least some of those in the photos do not strike my eye as being authentic, showing that the market is being fed fakes right from the 'source' level of the illicit industry.

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