Thefts at the British Museum: The First Pieces Recovered

Some of the 2,000 pieces stolen from the British Museum have been recovered, according to the chairman, George Osborne. “We believe we have been victims of theft over a long period of time. Frankly, more could have been done to prevent it,” Osborne said today.

Osborne spoke on the silver lining. When asked where some of the items were found, he said on a radio show: “Some members of the archaeological community are actively collaborating with us,” and they are also collaborating with a database of lost and stolen art.

And the director of the German Museum, Hartwig Fischer, announced yesterday that he will step down from his position in light of the series of thefts that were revealed recently. Shortly thereafter, the Museum announced that Deputy Director Jonathan Williams would voluntarily step down from his duties pending an independent investigation, effective immediately.

Former employee under suspicion

The German cultural director was the subject of an unprecedented series of thefts that became public last week. According to the British Museum, many of the pieces have been stolen or damaged.

Among other things, it concerns gold jewelry, jewelry made of semi-precious stones and glass. According to the information, some of the pieces date back to the fifteenth century BC until the nineteenth century AD.

It is suspected that there is a former employee who was dismissed in connection with the events, and legal measures were taken against him. According to the police, a man has been questioned in connection with these events.

Advice that will not be taken seriously in 2021

And there appeared to be indications of thefts as early as 2021. Fisher initially challenged that it was “disappointing” that the whistleblower had not provided more information in 2021. The investigation concluded at the time that all the objects involved were in place. And now he admits that he did not react appropriately at the time.

The British Museum in London is one of the most important museums in the world. It houses some of humanity’s most important cultural treasures. These include a large part of the Parthenon sculptures, the Rosetta Stone, and Egyptian mummies.