Pharaoh's Gold Bracelet Vanishes From Museum Lab

A 3,000-year-old gold bracelet once owned by the Egyptian pharaoh Amenemope has vanished from a Cairo museum. The artifact, described as decorated with lapis lazuli beads, disappeared while undergoing restoration in an Egyptian Museum lab, where it was being prepped for a "Treasures of the Pharaohs" exhibit due to open in October in Rome. The Times of London cites local media reports that indicate the lab doesn't have surveillance cameras, "complicating efforts to trace the bracelet's whereabouts."

NBC News reports that images of the missing piece have been distributed to all entry and exit points nationwide, as authorities work to prevent its possible smuggling abroad. The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities revealed that news of the bracelet's disappearance was kept under wraps initially to avoid jeopardizing the investigation. A specialized team has been assembled to cross-check all items that should be in the lab to ensure no others are missing.

Amenemope, who ruled Egypt from 993BC to 984BC, is one of just three fully intact—meaning not looted at any point in antiquity—royal burials known from ancient Egypt. His tomb was discovered by French archaeologists in April 1940. As the Collector explained in a 2020 article, roughly 300 pharaohs ruled Egypt over the years.