Ancient Bracelet of Pharaoh Amenemope Destroyed After Theft
CAIRO – An ancient gold bracelet belonging to Pharaoh amenemope, stolen from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, has been melted down and sold for parts after being passed through multiple buyers, egyptian authorities announced Thursday. The bracelet, dating back three millennia, was taken from a display case in the museum’s collection of artifacts from the Tanis royal necropolis.
Four suspects have been arrested in connection with the theft, including a restoration specialist at the museum who confessed to providing the bracelet to an acquaintance operating a silver shop in Cairo’s Sayyeda Zainab district. The bracelet was allegedly sold to a gold workshop owner for approximately $3,800, then resold for around $4,000 to a worker at another gold workshop, where it was melted down to create new jewellery.
Authorities stated that the suspects have confessed to their crimes and the money involved has been seized. Security camera footage released by the ministry shows a shop owner receiving the bracelet, weighing it, and completing a transaction with one of the suspects.
A judge has ordered the restoration specialist and her acquaintance to remain in detention for 15 days pending further investigation. The two remaining suspects were granted release on bail of 10,000 Egyptian pounds ($207) each.
The theft has sparked public outcry and criticism of security measures at Egyptian museums. Monica Hanna, an archaeologist and dean at the Arab Academy for Science, Technology & Maritime Transport, has called for a suspension of overseas exhibits “until better control” is implemented to secure artifacts. Human rights lawyer Malek Adly described the incident as “an alarm bell,” urging the government to improve security for both exhibited and stored antiquities.
Amenemope ruled Egypt from Tanis during the 21st Dynasty. The Tanis royal necropolis was discovered in 1940 by French archaeologist Pierre Montet and houses approximately 2,500 artifacts, including golden funerary masks, silver coffins, and jewels. The collection underwent restoration in 2021 in collaboration with the Louvre Museum in Paris.
The incident echoes past cultural losses, including the 2010 theft of Vincent van Gogh’s “Poppy Flowers” from a Cairo museum – a painting initially stolen in 1977, recovered, and then stolen again in 2010 and remains missing.
