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Jul 19, 2009, 13:20 GMT

Egyptian bust in Berlin may be forged, report says

Berlin - An Egyptian bust acquired at vast expense by a Berlin museum over two decades ago may be a forgery, according to the German news magazine Der Spiegel on Sunday. The bust in brown granite of female Pharaoh Hatshepsut, who ruled Egypt for 22 years, is one of the draws at the German capital's Egyptian Museum, and is only outshone by the limestone bust of exquisite Queen Nefertiti. The magazine said scientists at the Technical University of Berlin had discovered the Hatshepsut stone was rich in the minerals magnesite and siderite. No other bust from the Nile region was made of such rock, suggesting that the 16.5-centimetre-high figure might be a modern fake, according to the magazine. Asked by the German Press Agency dpa for comment, Dieter Wildung, the recently retired director of the museum, said he had not been aware of the scientific study. Der Spiegel said the museum paid 1 million marks (510,000 euros) to buy the statue in 1986 from Robin Symes of Britain, but Wildung declined to confirm its price. 'The purchase was long before my time,' said Wildung, who became head of the museum in 1989 and retired two weeks ago. He criticized Spiegel for 'sneakily' going public with the report without clearance from the museum. Hatshepsut died in 1458 BC. The Berlin museum has been criticized by Cairo officials for refusing to give Nefertiti's bust, regarded as a national treasure, back to Egypt.

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