Experts in a spin as mystery of ‘rotating’ statue revealed

The mystery of a “possessed”rotating statue that had experts in a spin due to its unexplained movement during the night has been solved following a scientific investigation.

The 4,000-year-old Egyptian statue had curators at Manchester Museum puzzled after it began to mysteriously rotate overnight, despite being housed in a secure glass case.

Neb-Senu is a 10in (25cm) statuette made in about 1800 BC as a medium for the soul of an ancient Egyptian man.

Explanations for its movement ranged from mystical and magical ancient myths, curses and spirits to the object being possessed. But, following an investigation, a far more 21st century reason has been unearthed — that the figure rotated as a result of vibrations from passing footfall and traffic.

ITV’s Mystery Map, which investigates mysterious stories, enlisted specialists to place sensors under the cabinet to detect vibrations, which dispelled some of the more outlandish claims.

Vibration expert Steve Gosling undertook a 24-hour test by placing a specialist three-axis sensor under the wall-mounted cabinet containing the relic, to record any vibrations present.

Mr Gosling said: “The vibration is a combination of multiple sources so there’s buses outside on the busy road, there’s footfall activity. And it’s all of those things combined.”