Egyptian treasures found buried in Scotland… and experts unravel the mystery

In 1952, a child in the Scottish countryside found a 4,000-year-old Egyptian artefact under the sand of his school: this was a surprise at the time, but that artefact was the first of 18 other Egyptian artefacts which were discovered later, in over a 30-year period.

These Egyptian antiquities were a mystery in Scotland and raised questions about why they were there and who buried them there, as the idea of ​​finding ancient treasures buried in the Scottish countryside and not under the sands of Cairo is highly unlikely.

Most of the antiquities are now in the National Museums of Scotland, which for the first time tells the wonderful story behind the discoveries, according to a report published by Britain’s “The Guardian”.

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In 1984, Dr. Elizabeth Goring, curator of the Museum of Mediterranean Archaeology, began an investigation to determine whether these artifacts had been collected by a member of the Levin and Melville family who once occupied the property where the artifacts were found.

However, in 1984, it was agreed that that year’s discoveries would be treated as a valuable treasure acquired by the museum.

The story of the discoveries was first told by Goring and his successor, Dr Margaret Maitland, in the Proceedings of the Scottish Antiquarian Society, to be published on 30 November.

solve the puzzle

One possible explanation is that they were purchased by Alexander, Lord Balgonie, heir to the estate, who visited Egypt in 1856 with his two sisters to improve his ill health after falling ill while serving in the Crimean War.

But he returned to Britain weaker and died in 1857, aged 24, of tuberculosis.

It is possible that the grief over his untimely death pushed someone to get rid of these antiquities.

© National Museums Scotland

It’s also possible that stories about the “curse of the mummy,” dating back to the 1860s, linked these relics to bad luck, prompting someone to bury them.

“Superstitions”

In turn, Maitland, the museum’s chief curator, said: “We cannot be sure whether superstition played a role in their abandonment, but it is not impossible.”

The 110 mm high sandstone head statue is displayed in the museum and is considered an extraordinary masterpiece and very important to Egyptian culture.

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