Egyptian authorities have recovered a priceless statue of Pharaoh Akhenaten after it was stolen during a break-in at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.
The statue was among eight items that were stolen when the museum was looted on January 28, amid nearby demonstrations and protests against the Egyptian government. Three of the looted items had previously been recovered by museum officials.
A 16-year-old protester found the 2.8 inch-long statue lying on the ground outside the museum during the protests.
The teenager had taken it home, where it was recognized by his uncle, Sabri Abdelrahman, a professor at the American University in Cairo. The family then returned the statue to the museum, said Zahi Hawass, Minister of Antiquities Affairs, in a statement.
The statue depicts the blue-crowned Pharaoh standing with arms outstretched to hold an offering table – the table had previously been found separately inside the museum.
Akhenaten reigned over Egypt around 1300 B.C., and is known for trying to convert the country to a monotheistic religion called Atenism, which involved worshiping the sun disk Aten instead of the traditional Egyptian gods and goddesses.