A gold breastplate shaped like a hawk and bracelets from King Amenemope’s burial are shown in this undated photo. (Getty Images)
Egyptian police arrested a museum worker and three others after a priceless gold bracelet vanished from Cairo’s Egyptian Museum. The 3,000-year-old bracelet was stolen, sold for about $4,000 US, then melted down. Officials revealed the shocking theft on Thursday.
The bracelet, made of gold with lapis lazuli beads, dates back to the reign of Pharaoh Amenemope from Egypt’s 21st Dynasty, around 1070-945 BC. Staff discovered the loss during an inventory check last Saturday, the interior ministry said. The bracelet had been secured in a locked metal safe inside the museum’s conservation lab.
Museum Worker Behind the Theft
Authorities said a restoration specialist working at the museum stole the bracelet on September 9 while on duty. Police tracked the sale through a silver trader in central Cairo. The bracelet first sold to a gold dealer for 180,000 Egyptian pounds (about $3,735 US). The dealer then sold it to a gold foundry worker for 194,000 pounds (approximately $4,025 US). Soon after, the ancient bracelet was melted down with other scrap gold, the ministry added.
The suspects confessed to the crime after their arrest. Security camera footage shared by the ministry showed a man handing over money and cutting a gold bracelet in two. It’s unclear if this was the stolen ancient bracelet, but it adds to the case’s seriousness.
Historical Importance of the Bracelet
The bracelet came from archaeological digs in Tanis, in Egypt’s eastern Nile Delta. It was found in the tomb of King Psusennes I. Amenemope was reburied there after his original tomb was looted, said Egyptologist Jean Guillaume Olette-Pelletier.
This theft comes as a blow to Egypt’s efforts to protect its ancient heritage. Egypt has faced similar cases in the past.
Past Thefts Highlight Security Concerns
In 1977, a famous Van Gogh painting called “Poppy Flowers” was stolen from a Cairo museum. It was found ten years later but then stolen again in 2010 and remains missing.
This month, a man was jailed in the United States for smuggling hundreds of Egyptian artifacts. Since the 2011 revolution, looters have exploited the unrest to raid museums and archaeological sites. Thousands of priceless objects later appeared in private collections worldwide.
Egypt’s cultural heritage remains at risk despite efforts to tighten security.
