A 3,000-year-old gold bracelet from ancient Egypt has been lost forever after being stolen from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo and melted down, officials confirmed.

The Ministry of Interior reported that the disappearance was discovered on September 13, when staff found the artifact missing from a locked safe in the museum’s restoration workshop.

Investigations revealed that a museum technician was responsible. He removed the bracelet on September 9 and sold it through a chain of dealers in Cairo. The final buyer sent it to a foundry, where it was melted together with other gold items.

Authorities arrested all suspects involved, including the museum employee, merchants, and the foundry worker. The money earned from the illegal sales—around $4,000—was seized, but experts stress that the cultural loss is irreversible.

A Vanished Legacy

The bracelet belonged to Egypt’s Third Intermediate Period (1075–652 BCE), an era known for elaborate jewelry and funerary art despite political turmoil. Scholars note that the destruction of such a unique artifact represents not just the loss of a museum piece, but the erasure of irreplaceable historical memory.

Cover Image Credit: Display of golden artifacts inside the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. Authorities confirmed that a 3,000-year-old bracelet was stolen and melted down. (Photo: Anadolu Agency)