Confusion as Man Finds 7ft 'Egyptian Sarcophagus' Abandoned on Sidewalk

One man's unusual find while walking the streets of London has baffled the internet.

After getting off a train late on Monday, March 13, the Redditor—who wished to remain anonymous—was astonished when he stumbled upon a full-sized ancient Egyptian-style sarcophagus.

Traveling from King's College in central London to St. Mary Cray in the southeast London borough of Bromley, he wasn't expecting what he saw when he stepped out of the station.

"It was already pretty gloomy and quiet because it was late on a Monday, so not really many people were around at the time, but as I left the station my eyes couldn't stop fixating on this thing when I saw it," he told Newsweek. "If anything I just burst out laughing a bit because I didn't think something could get more random than some Egyptian sarcophagus laying down outside a train station."

Ancient Egyptian stone sarcophagi date back to the pharaohs of the 3rd dynasty—around 2686 and 2613 BC. Elaborate coffins, they were painted and decorated to help the deceased obtain passage to the afterlife.

Leaders and the wealthy of ancient Egypt would be buried in a sarcophagus, which were designed to be displayed above ground.

Archaeologists are still uncovering ancient Egyptian tombs today, and while burials like this are no longer practiced, it is an idea that some have held onto. One man even built a 3,000 pound sarcophagus to keep a beloved packet of Cheetos preserved.

However, nobody was expecting an elaborate Egyptian sarcophagus to appear on the streets of the U.K. capital, and hundreds of commenters on Reddit shared their confused reactions.

"I'm sure the British Museum will have it," joked one, while another said: "That is so awesome, all I find on the streets is dog s***."

"Are you sure the owner isn't enclosed?" asked one commenter, while another said: "Don't f****** touch it. It is cursed!"

Amazed by the strange discovery, the Redditor explained: "I don't know if it carries across in the photo, but it wasn't small. I would estimate that it's at least six to seven feet, which was what also amazed me the most. How the hell does something that big like that get there, and why?"

Newsweek has reached out to Bromley Council via email about the sarcophagus.

There weren't many people around to see the unusual sight, but the Londoner said that those who did notice it were equally confused.

"My main motivation for uploading on Reddit was for laughs because I knew how funny I found it the first time I saw it—and hoped it would give people that same weird reaction of absolute confusion but laughter and joy as well," said the poster. "I also feel like it just fits the peculiarity of London so well."