New finds at Egyptian Museum
27th July 2009
Archaeologists at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo have discovered several ‘new’ artefacts.
The nine items – which include a sacred table, a limestone column base and stone hieroglyphs – don’t appear on any official records.
The museum is infamous for the less-than-meticulous cataloguing of its huge collection. However all that is about to change with the building of a second site – the Grand Egyptian Museum – near the Pyramids at Giza.
The original museum’s basement is now being excavated and every item catalogued prior to the new museum opening. Many of the museum’s previously unseen artefacts will go on display at Giza. It was this work that led to the discovery of these nine items.
Other forgotten items have previously been discovered in the museum’s garden. Prior to 1952, any dubious artefacts were buried there but the garden is now being dug up to see if anything is genuine.
In addition to the building of the new museum, the Egyptian Museum is getting a facelift. When it’s cleared, the basement will be turned into lecture halls and temporary exhibition spaces.
The Grand Egyptian Museum is currently scheduled to open in 2013.
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