the precious sarcophagus presented in Paris from this Friday

In the great hall of La Villette (Paris), infinite precautions are taken to accommodate the treasure of the exhibition, the wooden sarcophagus of Pharaoh Ramses II, an exhibition which opens on Friday 7 April. “It is exceptional because it is the coffin of Ramses II, it is an object of incredible intimacy (…). It’s the coffin that kept Ramses safe for about 2,900 years, so it’s absolutely amazing to have it here.”says Bénédicte Lhoyer, Egyptologist and scientific advisor for the exhibition.

The sarcophagus, without the mummy, too fragile to travel, arrived ten days ago in the greatest discretion. His transfer took place under high police protection. Its presence is an exclusive privilege granted to France by Egypt as a form of recognition. Indeed, in 1976, the mummy, eaten away by mold, was sent to Paris to be treated by scientists.

The king is depicted as an Osiris: arms crossed on his chest, he holds the two royal sceptres, the hook and the whip. He wears the headdress adorned with the erect cobra and a false beard braided under his chin. This sarcophagus will be the masterpiece of an exhibition comprising 180 original objects, rarely taken from Egypt and which tell the story of the reign of one of the most prestigious pharaohs in the history of ancient Egypt.

“Ramses and the Gold of the Pharaohs”
Great Hall of La Villette
211 avenue Jean-Jaures, 75019 Paris
Opening hours: every day from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., last session at 5.30 p.m.

From 24 €
From April 7, 2023