A 10-year old boy has found what
appears to be an ancient Egyptian mummy while
playing at the attic of his grandmother's house in
Lower Saxony State, Germany.
The mummy was lying in a sarcophagus, which was
covered by hieroglyphic inscriptions. Besides the
mummy the crate reportedly contained an object
believed to be a "death mask," as well as an
acanopic jar used by ancient Egyptians to preserve
the entrails of the dead.
Kettler's father was quoted as saying he would
have experts examine the mummy in order to
authenticate it.
Asked about the steps to be taken by Egypt if the
mummy appears to be authentic, Mohamed Abdel
Maqsoud, deputy director of the Antiquities Sector
at Egypt's Ministry of Antiquities, said that the
ministry will first check whether the piece travelled
outside the country legally, and will verify whether
it is registered at any museum.
Abdel Maqsoud added that authorities will also
verify what links the German family has to Egypt
and find out whether they work in the field of
archaeology.


The ministry official added that diplomacy will be
the first option to bring home the mummy if it
proves to be an ancient Egyptian artifact, stressing
that diplomatic means have proven successful in
restoring several artifacts over the past few years.
"Diplomacy is a successful way to resolve these
sorts of issues, and it is not costly," Abdel Maqsoud
said. "We should first check if the piece left the
country legally and find out if it is registered at any
museum."
Should diplomacy fail, approaching Interpol would
be the next step, he stated.

It's not an Egyptian mummy. fake tinz.