The sarcophagus of Ramesses II, the greatest pharaoh of all time, can be admired in Paris. Egypt lends its coffin to France. Daniel Soliman, Curator of Egypt at the National Museum of Antiquities: “This is not his original coffin.”
With his reign of more than 66 years, Pharaoh Ramses II, also known as Ramesses the Great, is the longest serving pharaoh. And at 90 years old, he is also possibly the oldest pharaoh. France is exceptionally allowed to display its sarcophagus by Egypt. His mummy will remain in Egypt.
“It is not customary to give very special pieces, like this sarcophagus, on loan in this way. There will be museums that want to display such a masterpiece. You just have to be able to stimulate it well. And there must be some important reason for that.” Egypt and France They have a long history dating back to the time of Napoleon in 1798. For a country, there may also be other reasons, such as financial or political motives, for allowing such a thing.
The last time Ramesses II’s coffin went abroad was in 1976. And not only the sarcophagus, but also his mummy went to Paris for research. The mummy was treated there by experts against fungi. Egypt may now wish to show its appreciation by lending the sarcophagus to France.
Fun fact
The sarcophagus is on display at the Musée Grande halle de la Villette. This gallery displays the largest collection outside of Egypt of artifacts from the time of Pharaoh Ramesses II. Suleiman: A traveling exhibition. So this exhibition can also be seen in other countries, except for this sarcophagus, which can only be shown in France. A nice fact is that this is not the original sarcophagus that Ramesses II was placed in right after his death. And his body was not placed in this coffin until later.”
The sarcophagus of Ramesses II is on display from April 7 to September 6 at the Grande halle de la Villette in Paris.
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