A 3,000-year-old gold bracelet belonging to Pharaoh Amenemope has been stolen and melted down, Egypt’s Interior Ministry confirmed on Thursday.
The bracelet, decorated with lapis lazuli beads, vanished on September 9 from a conservation laboratory safe. Initially feared smuggled abroad, the investigation revealed that a museum restoration specialist had stolen the piece, later selling it to a chain of traders in Cairo’s historic jewelry district. The gold was ultimately recast by a smelter, erasing the ancient artifact, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
Authorities arrested the suspects and seized proceeds worth 194,000 Egyptian pounds ($4,000) from the sale.
The theft comes just weeks before the highly anticipated November opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum near the Giza Pyramids, a showcase of Egypt’s rich antiquities and a cornerstone for its tourism sector.
