An ancient statue created as an offering to the Egyptian god of death has stumped the Manchester Museum in England after a time-lapse video taken over a week-long period shows the artifact slowly spinning.

The strange occurrence was first noticed by the statue's current caretaker, Campbell Price, who reset the relic back to its original direction after finding it askew, only to discover the statue returned to the wrong direction again the next day.

The 4,000-year-old statue of Neb-Senu was found in a mummy's tomb 80 years ago and has been kept locked in a display case in the museum ever since.

"In Ancient Egypt they believed that if the mummy is destroyed then the statuette can act as an alternative vessel for the spirit," Price, an Egyptologist, told the Manchester Evening News.

Others are more skeptical, suggesting more mundane explanations for the mystery: the vibration caused by the rubbing of the stone statue against its glass case, for example, or the footfalls of museum patrons.

But Price remains firm on his stance. "Why would it go a round in a perfect circle? It would be great if someone could solve the mystery," he told The Daily Mail.