The Ptolemaic-era artifact was intercepted by Swiss customs in 2022 and later authenticated as an Egyptian artifact<\/p>\n
Switzerland has returned a more than 2,000-year-old funerary mask to Egypt after it was intercepted by Swiss customs four years ago, the Swiss Embassy in Cairo said on Wednesday.
\nThe ancient mask dates back to Egypt\u2019s Ptolemaic period and was seized by the Swiss customs authorities in 2022. It was subsequently examined and authenticated as an Egyptian artifact. Egypt\u2019s Foreign Ministry described the artifact as \u201ca golden mummy mask.\u201d
\nThe artifact was formally handed over in Bern by Swiss Federal Councilor Elisabeth Baume-Schneider to Egypt\u2019s ambassador to Switzerland, Mohamed Negm.
\n\u201cThis return is another milestone in the longstanding cooperation between Switzerland and Egypt to protect cultural heritage and fight the illicit trafficking of cultural property,\u201d the embassy said. Bern has returned around 80 cultural objects to Egypt since 2011, according to the statement.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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It comes as the North African country steps up efforts to recover antiquities taken abroad illegally. On Thursday, the Egyptian Embassy in Beirut received 74 archaeological artifacts from various historical periods from the Lebanese authorities ahead of their repatriation to Egypt. Cairo said the handover was part of work with Lebanon to protect cultural heritage and combat the illicit trafficking of antiquities.<\/p>\n
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Egypt has also recovered antiquities from the US as part of its repatriation drive. In April, the country retrieved 13 artifacts that were illegally smuggled abroad, following work with the authorities in New York. The objects included an alabaster jar for oils and perfumes from the 7th century BC, as well as cosmetic containers shaped like animals from the Middle and New Kingdoms of Ancient Egypt.<\/p>\n
READ MORE: Tutankhamun is waiting. Will Europe return Egypt\u2019s stolen treasures?<\/p>\n
Also last year, Egyptian officials said 13 artifacts were returned from the UK and Germany. The items include a mummy\u2019s skull and hand, ankh and baboon-shaped amulets, a bronze Osiris crown, and a beaded funerary mask.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Ptolemaic-era artifact was intercepted by Swiss customs in 2022 and later authenticated as an Egyptian artifact Switzerland has returned a more than 2,000-year-old funerary mask to Egypt after it…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":38352,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-38351","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-environment","category-politics"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t