A gold bracelet dating back approximately 3,000 years, previously housed in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, was stolen and subsequently melted down, according to Egypt’s interior ministry. The artefact, originating from the reign of Pharaoh Amenemope around 1,000 BC, was taken from a safe within the museum by a restoration specialist nine days ago.
Following the theft, the individual contacted a silver jeweller to facilitate the sale of the bracelet. The bracelet was sold for $3,735 to a gold jeweller, who later sold it for $4,025 to a worker at a gold foundry. This worker reportedly melted the bracelet down along with other pieces of jewellery.
The interior ministry stated that four individuals involved in this operation confessed after their arrests, and the financial gains from the theft were seized. In response to the incident, Egypt’s tourism and antiquities ministry communicated that immediate actions were taken after the bracelet went missing from the museum’s restoration laboratory, and the case has been referred to law enforcement.
As part of the preventative measures, an image of the bracelet, which featured spherical lapis lazuli beads, has been disseminated to all airports, seaports, and land border crossings to deter any potential smuggling attempts. The theft was discovered recently when museum staff were preparing to ship several artefacts to Rome for an upcoming exhibition.
The Egyptian Museum is noted as the oldest archaeological museum in the Middle East and contains over 170,000 artefacts, including the gilded funerary mask of Amenemope. This incident coincides with the nearing opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza, where significant treasures, including those from King Tutankhamun’s tomb, are being relocated.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1kw8dwy4dro?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss