The President of the British Museum George Osborne announced on Saturday that efforts are underway to recover around 2,000 stolen artifacts including gold jewelry and gemstones that were stolen over a long period of time. This announcement comes a day after the resignation of Hartwig Fischer from the museum’s management following intense pressure since the declaration of the loss of a series of museum collections on August 16 some of which date back to the 15th century BC.
Photo of The British Museum-Image Source: Wikimedia
George Osborne, the former Chancellor of the Exchequer, stated in an interview with BBC Radio that the museum’s collections are not fully listed or registered appropriately, which is not uncommon for large institutions that have accumulated their collections over hundreds of years. He added that there is an ongoing criminal investigation to determine what has been stolen, saying, “We believe it involves around 2,000 pieces…but I must say, this is a very preliminary number and we are actively searching.”
Osborne mentioned that some stolen items have already been recovered, but did not provide any details about what has been recovered or how it was retrieved. The announcement of the thefts has caused great embarrassment to the institution and damaged the reputation of the British Museum. Osborne acknowledged that they had been victims of theft for a long time and stated, “Honestly, more efforts could have been made to prevent it.”
The British Museum established in 1753, houses a collection of eight million artifacts, including the famous Rosetta Stone that unlocked the secrets of hieroglyphics making it one of the most popular attractions in the United Kingdom.
In mid-August, the institution confirmed that it had dismissed an employee in connection with this case while the London police questioned a man whose name was not disclosed without initiating any legal proceedings in this matter.
