Spinning Egyptian statue spooks Manchester Museum

Published June 24th, 2013 - 10:25 GMT
Al Bawaba
Al Bawaba

Is it physics? A publicity stunt? Or maybe it's just a flat out curse?

Those are some of the questions being whirled around after a 4,000-year-old Egyptian statue was captured on video spinning on its own at Manchester Museum recently. The statue has been on display at the building for roughly 80 years.

Standing about 10-inches tall, the statue is said to be a relic of a man named Neb-Senu, who is said to date back to around 1800 BC. The relic was offered to the god of the dead and ruler of the underworld, Osiris, further fueling the the eeriness of the entire situation.

According to Manchester Museum curator Campbell Price, the incident may be the result of physics as well as spirits from beyond.

“The cause may be subtle vibrations from football or traffic outside, but the statue has been on a glass shelf in about the same in the gallery for decades and has never moved before,” Price writes on his blog. “And none of the other objects in the case move in any way. A mystery? See for yourself.”

Price noted the museum may also be suffering from “the curse of the Pharaohs,” which affects anyone who disturbs a mummy or Pharaoh's tomb.

“I noticed one day that it had turned around,” Price told the Manchester Evening News. “I thought it was strange because it is in a case and I am the only one who has a key.

"In ancient Egypt, they believed that if the mummy is destroyed then the statue can act as an alternative vessel for the spirt," Price added. "Maybe that is what is causing the movement."

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