A stunning 3,000-year-old gold bracelet, a relic from ancient Egypt, was recently reported stolen and subsequently melted down, according to Egypt’s interior ministry. The bracelet, which dates back to the reign of King Amenemope around 1,000 BC, was taken from a secure location within the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.
Authorities disclosed that the theft occurred over nine days ago when a restoration specialist, entrusted with the artefact, removed it from a safe in the museum. Following the heist, the woman contacted a silver jeweller, who then sold the bracelet to a gold jeweller for approximately $3,735 (£2,750). This gold jeweller then passed the bracelet to a worker at a gold foundry, where it was ultimately melted down along with other pieces of jewellery, as reported by the ministry.
The investigation quickly unfolded after the crime was discovered. The four individuals involved in the theft confessed after being apprehended, and the funds from the sale were recovered. In response to the incident, Egypt’s tourism and antiquities ministry enacted swift measures to secure the museum and ensure the protection of its holdings. The authorities initiated an internal investigation and referred the matter to police.
In a proactive step to prevent the stolen bracelet from leaving the country, an image of the artefact was distributed to all Egyptian airports, seaports, and land border crossings. The bracelet’s disappearance was noticed by museum staff while they were preparing to send numerous artefacts to an upcoming exhibition in Rome.
The Egyptian Museum in Cairo, known as the oldest archaeological museum in the Middle East, holds over 170,000 artefacts. Among its treasures is Amenemope’s gilded wooden funerary mask, underscoring the museum’s significance and the cultural heritage at risk. The theft of the bracelet occurred just weeks before the highly anticipated opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza, which is set to showcase the iconic treasures from King Tutankhamun’s tomb.
