How does a 3,000-year-old royal treasure turn into a pile of melted gold worth less than a used car?
Egyptian police say that’s exactly what happened in Cairo.
A priceless bracelet from the reign of Pharaoh Amenemope vanished from the Egyptian Museum.
It was sold for about $4,000 and destroyed.
Authorities announced Thursday they’ve arrested a museum employee and three alleged accomplices in what they’re calling a shocking inside job.
The gold band, inlaid with lapis lazuli beads, had been locked inside a conservation lab safe.
Egypt’s Treasure Melted Away
Yet investigators say a restoration specialist swiped it on September 9, passing it through a silver trader to a gold dealer.
Finally, to a foundry worker who melted it down.
Security footage released by the interior ministry appears to show a man cutting a gold bracelet in two after exchanging cash.
It’s unclear if that’s the stolen artifact.
Egyptian media report the loss was discovered during an inventory check ahead of next month’s “Treasures of the Pharaohs” exhibition in Rome.
For Egypt, it’s a gut punch. As one observer put it, “We’ve lost not just gold, but a piece of history.”
And unlike the pharaohs, this treasure won’t be resurrected.
