There's a story that sometime around 1000 BC, an exalted priestess of the god Amunrah,

passed away in the Egyptian city of Thebes.

The priestess was given all the appropriate funerary rights befitting a woman of her stature.

Her body was mummified and placed in an ornately painted sarcophagus before being interred deep

within the temple of Amunrah.

There she rested undisturbed for nearly 3,000 years.

Then sometime in the late 19th century everything changed.

The details of this story vary from source to source, but sometime in the final decades

of the 1800s, a group of four English travelers visited Egypt and enjoyed a sightseeing trip

along the Nile.

A key stop on their itinerary was the ancient city of Thebes and the ruined temple of Amunrah.

While they were inspecting the site, one of their guides revealed that a beautifully

decorated sarcophagus had just been found.

One seeing this amazing artifact, the four friends were all enamored.

Each one became equally determined to possess it.

The Egyptian guides were willing to sell this plundered antiquity, the only question was

to whom.

The four friends drew lots for the treasure, and one among them identified only as Mr.

W ended up winning the draw.

Mr. W had the sarcophagus and the mummy it contained transported to his hotel and immediately

made arrangements to have it shipped back to his home in London.

But while the mummy would eventually board a ship and make the journey back to the UK,

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