Egypt Museum Scandal: 3,000-Year-Old Gold Bracelet Stolen and Melted Down

A priceless 3,000-year-old gold bracelet has been stolen from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo and melted down, Egyptian authorities confirmed.

According to the Ministry of Interior, the artifact—dating to the Third Intermediate Period of ancient Egypt (1075–652 BCE)—was discovered missing on September 13 from a secure iron safe inside the museum’s restoration workshop.

Investigations revealed that a museum technician was behind the theft. He reportedly removed the bracelet on September 9 and contacted a silver merchant in Cairo to sell it. The bracelet changed hands several times before being taken to a gold foundry, where it was melted along with other jewelry to create a new product.

The original piece, described by international experts as “priceless,” was sold for just 180,000 Egyptian pounds (approx. $3,750) before being passed on for 194,000 pounds ($4,000). All suspects—including the technician, the merchant, the goldsmith, and the foundry worker—have since been arrested, with authorities seizing the profits of the illicit sale.

Egyptian officials stressed the irreplaceable cultural loss, noting that while the money has been recovered, the historic bracelet is gone forever.

The Third Intermediate Period

The stolen artifact belonged to the Third Intermediate Period, a time marked by political fragmentation and foreign invasions in Egypt, spanning from 1075 to 652 BCE. Despite instability, the period is renowned for its refined jewelry and funerary art, making the destruction of such an object particularly tragic.

Cover Image Credit: Gold artifacts on display at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. Authorities revealed that a priceless 3,000-year-old bracelet stolen from the museum’s restoration workshop was melted down. (Photo: Anadolu Agency)