Mystery Of Ancient Egyptian Statue Neb-Senu Filmed Spinning In Glass Case At Manchester Museum (VIDEO)
WATCH: Curse Of The Pharaohs? Ancient Egyptian Statue Eerily Spins Around In Display Case
Sara C Nelson — Huffington Post UK
|
Eerie footage of an ancient Egyptian statue mysteriously spinning around in its glass display case has emerged.
The 10-inch tall figurine of Neb-Senu – which dates back to 1800 BC – was found in a mummy’s tomb and has been on display at Manchester Museum for 80 years.
But this is the first time it has ever done this…
Open Image Modal
The statue of Neb-Senu (dark stone) has been filmed spinning 180 degrees
Time-lapse video filmed over the course of a week shows the relic spinning, apparently of its own volition, as visitors mill around.
Writing on the Egypt at the Manchester Museum blog, curator Campbell Price says: "The cause may be subtle vibrations from football or traffic outside, but the statuette has been on a glass shelf in about the same place in the gallery for decades and has never moved before - and none of the other objects in the case move in any way. A mystery? See for yourself."
Price hints the museum may have been struck by the infamous “curse of the Pharaohs,” which is said to affect anyone who disturbs a mummy or Pharaoh's tomb.
He told the Manchester Evening News: “I noticed one day that it had turned around. I thought it was strange because it is in a case and I am the only one who has a key.
“I put it back but then the next day it had moved again. We set up a time-lapse video and, although the naked eye can’t see it, you can clearly see it rotate on the film. The statuette is something that used to go in the tomb along with the mummy.
“Mourners would lay offerings at its feet. The hieroglyphics on the back ask for ‘bread, beer and beef’.
“In Ancient Egypt they believed that if the mummy is destroyed then the statuette can act as an alternative vessel for the spirit. Maybe that is what is causing the movement.”
Yet TV physicist Brian Cox, who teaches at the university, is not convinced – and believes differential friction is the scientific explanation for the spooky spinning.
“Brian thinks its differential friction, where two surfaces – the serpentine stone of the statuette and glass shelf it is on – cause a subtle vibration which is making the statuette turn,” Price told The Independent.
He added: “But it has been on those surfaces since we have had it and it has never moved before. And why would it go around in a perfect circle? ”
Mummies
Mummies Around The World(01 of07)
Open Image Modal
This mummy, known as "Mumab," is only 15 years old but it was done in the ancient Egyptian style by Dr. Bob Brier and Ronn Wade, who used the cadaver of a Baltimore man who died in his seventies of heart failure, and donated his body to science. (credit:Courtesy: San Diego Museum of Man)
(02 of07)
Open Image Modal
The ancient Egyptians used to remove the vital organs of the people they mummified and would place them in airtight canopic jars.
Mummies Around The World(03 of07)
Open Image Modal
This Peruvian child mummy, known as the "Detmold Child," has been radiocarbon dated to 4504-4457 B.C. -- more than 3,000 years before the birth of King Tut. The child, which was about 10 months old when it died, naturally mummified in the hot, arid desert environment. (credit:American Exhibitions, Inc.)
Mummies Around The World(04 of07)
Open Image Modal
Michael Orlovits and his wife, Veronica, and son Johannes, are part of a group of 18th century mummies discovered in a long, forgotten church crypt in the town of Vac, Hungary, in 1994. Born in 1765, Michael died in 1806 at the age of 41. He worked as a miller, grinding grain into flour and is wearing a replica of the original clothing in which he was buried. (credit:American Exhibitions, Inc.)
Mummies Around The World(05 of07)
Open Image Modal
This young woman with long, black hair was naturally mummified in the warm desert air, seated in the burial position typical in Chile before 1400 A.D. She was wrapped in fabric after her death, the impression of which is still visible on her chin and cheeks. She has unusual tattoos; an oval with a dot inside on both breasts and beneath the left corner of her mouth. Little is known about the meaning of these mysterious tattoos. (credit:American Exhibitions, Inc.)
Mummies Around The World(06 of07)
Open Image Modal
This howler monkey is from the site of Grand Chaco, in Argentina, South America. It has not been radiocarbon dated, but it is likely that the monkey was naturally preserved in the warm, dry environment of the area and prepared for display, with a rhea feather skirt and feather wreath around its head and neck. (credit:American Exhibitions, Inc.)
Mummies Around The World(07 of07)
Open Image Modal
This Egyptian mummy is an adult man who was unwrapped long after his mummification. Analysis of a CT scan data shows that the man was around 45 to 50 years old and around 5 feet, 4 inches tall when he died. The body still has the remains of the gold that was applied to his face and hands during the mummification process. His fingernails are dark red, although it is not yet known if this was caused by disease or was cosmetic. (credit:American Exhibitions, Inc.)