Frenchman arrested for selling Pharaoh's hair on internet

Nov 29, 2006, 15:37 GMT

Paris - Tufts of hair supposedly taken from the mummy of Egypt's Ramses II, who died more than 1,200 years before Christ, were still on sale Wednesday over the internet although the alleged seller was arrested the night before, the head of the French website said.

'I spoke this morning with officials from the Office Against the Sale of Cultural Goods and they did not demand that they be taken off,' said Virginie Pons of the website Vivastreet.com.

The announcement on the site, which publishes some 40,000 similar ads every day, offered for sale 'Tufts of hair from the mummy of Ramses II' for 2,000 euros (2,640 dollars) and was accompanied by photos and certificates.

The man who put the hair for sale, a 50-year-old postman, claimed on the website that his father was part of a four-man team that analysed the hair, resins and wrapping of the mummy for the CEA-CENG research centre in the French city of Grenoble.

Preserved at the Museum of Cairo, the mummy of Ramses II was sent to France some 30 years ago to determine what was eating away at the cadaver of the last great Pharaoh of Egypt, who ruled from 1279 to 1213 BC. The cause turned out to be mould.

Police in Grenoble seized 10 small plastic bags containing tiny samples of hair and wrapping, supposedly taken from the mummy.