Switzerland Returns 2,000-Year-Old Ptolemaic Funerary Mask to Egypt

A funerary mask dating to Egypt’s Ptolemaic period has been repatriated from Switzerland more than 2,000 years after it was created.

The artefact was formally handed over in Bern by Swiss Federal Councillor Elisabeth Baume-Schneider to Egypt’s Ambassador to Switzerland Mohamed Negm.

According to the Embassy of Switzerland in Cairo, Swiss customs intercepted the mask in 2022. Experts subsequently examined the object and confirmed its Egyptian origin, after which it was transferred to the relevant authorities for repatriation through diplomatic channels. The handover in Bern concluded the case under Switzerland’s procedures for handling cultural property of questionable provenance.

The return forms part of ongoing cooperation between Egyptian and Swiss authorities to protect cultural heritage and combat the illicit trafficking of archaeological and cultural objects.

Since 2011, Switzerland has returned around 80 archaeological and cultural items to Egypt under the cooperation framework.