Tourism and Antiquities police managed to seize 15 Pharaonic figurines and 111 ancient Greek coins inside a house in Asyut, inhabited by a 33-year old man who, according to the investigations, attempted to sell and smuggle them abroad (Egypt Today 'Police halts attempt of smuggling 15 Pharaonic figurines in Asyut' Wed, Feb. 20, 2019)
Investigations revealed that the defendant excavated a four-meter deep trench inside his house in the Upper Egyptian governorate to search for antiquities. The 15 seized figurines include 10 limestone sculptures, with lengths ranging between 10-20 centimeters, the investigation revealed. A specialized committee confirmed that the seized antiquities are authentic and ancient. The defendant admitted the allegations.I can see a jolly good business opportunity here - putting certain dealers selling this kind of 'antiquities' in touch with the members of this specialised committee who (no doubt for a small payment) will certify their garish goods "authentick" too, despite how they look on the photos.
My feeling is that a four-metre deep hole that takes up even a quarter of the ground floor of a typical Upper Egyptian house is extremely unlikely to have produced the shown artefacts, one shudders to think why the house owner 'admitted' to them coming from under his living room.
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