“The British Museum is a victim of the theft,” said former director Nigel Boardman, who helped lead the independent security review, in a statement. “We are absolutely determined to use our review to figure out what happened.”
The museum has launched a take-back program to ensure the return of its collections, which Mr. Boardman describes as “a daunting task involving internal and external experts” but “an absolute priority, no matter how long it takes.” matter,” he said.
The items were all “warehoused small fragments” of the museum’s collection, none of which had recently been shown to the public, according to a statement. Artifacts include gold jewelry, semi-precious and glass gemstones from the 15th century BC to the 19th century AD, and were primarily kept for academic research purposes.
“This is a highly unusual event,” museum director Hartwig Fischer said in a statement. “But we put an end to this, and we are determined to put things right.”
The curator of the British Museum, George Osborne, said in a statement that the curator had learned of the theft earlier this year and had exercised “all disciplinary powers” available to the suspected perpetrator. “A sad day for all who love the British Museum,” he added.
Museum spokesman Connor Watson declined to provide further details about the identity or role of the alleged thief.
The Metropolitan Police Department’s Economic Crime Countermeasures Headquarters is also investigating. “We are bound by police investigations and do not wish to undermine potential actions,” Watson told The Washington Post in an email.
On social media, some called the museum’s stance on the apparent theft of ancient treasures ironic, suggesting that much of the museum’s collection was looted from other countries during the days of the British Empire. It pointed out.
The museum recognizes some of these.contested object“, and includes Benin bronzes and marble looted by British colonial soldiers in 1897. Sculpture of the ParthenonDating from 447 BC to 432 BC, it was taken from the Acropolis of Athens.
Museums are under increasing pressure to return exhibits and other items to their home countries.
Dan Hicks, a professor of modern archeology at the University of Oxford, said: “‘Doing our best to recover previously stolen property’ may not be as flexible as the National Museum’s spin doctors think. I can’t,” he says. I have written On social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.