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It was lost more than a hundred years ago: unique 5,000-year-old Egyptian artifact found in cigar box

Maria Tsikhotska

It was lost more than a hundred years ago: unique 5,000-year-old Egyptian artifact found in cigar box
Cigar box with an artifact inside

While working in the Asian section of the University of Aberdeen's collection in Scotland, archaeologist Abir Eladani noticed a cigar tin with the symbols of the former Kingdom of Egypt, which existed until 1953. After examining the box, she saw pieces of wood inside, which turned out to be a long-lost artifact.

This was reported by the Daily Mail.

Scientists suggest that the find dates back to 3341-3094 BC. They believe that the wooden pieces were part of a measuring device used by architects for construction.

Read also: Ancient necropolis of the 4th-5th century AD found in Croatia: the most important find in the history of the island

Fragments of cedar wood were found by the expedition of archaeologist Dixon, they were one of three finds inside the pyramid at Giza. The other two, a ball and a hook, are kept in the British Museum, and the wooden piece was considered lost for almost a hundred years. In 2001, a record was found that the artifact was transferred to the museum collection of the University of Aberdeen, after which nothing was known about it.

"The university's collections are huge, they number hundreds of thousands of items," said Abir Eladani, "so looking for something here is like looking for a needle in a haystack. I couldn't believe that there was such a treasure inside this ordinary tin cigar box."

As a reminder, a mausoleum dating back to the Roman era was unearthed in London, where the rich were buried.

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