London - The sculpted head of an Egyptian queen dating from the 13th century BC was returned yesterday to Egypt after a lengthy battle in Britain over its authenticity.
The head of Nefertari, principal queen of Rameses II, was damaged when it was refashioned to disguise it as a tourist souvenir in a smuggling operation 10 years ago.
It was among a haul taken from Egypt by Jonathan Tokeley-Parry, a restorer who received a six-year jail sentence in 1997 for smuggling artefacts.