British Museum recovers some of 2,000 stolen items
約2,000点の宝物が大英博物館から盗まれたと考えられているが、その一部の回収が始まったとジョージ・オズボーン会長は述べた。元学長は博物館の評判が傷ついたことは認めたが、「混乱しているので私たちが片付ける」と述べた。略奪された古美術品の第一人者はBBCに対し、博物館から失われた品物の数は驚異的だと語った。(English) Some 2,000 treasures are believed to have been stolen from the British Museum, but the recovery of some of them has begun, chairman George Osborne has said. The ex-chancellor accepted that the museum's reputation had suffered but said: 'It's a mess we will clear up. A leading expert on looted antiquities told the BBC that the number of objects lost from the museum was staggering.
British Museum recovers some of 2,000 stolen items
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Some 2,000 treasures are believed to have been stolen from the British Museum, but the recovery of some of them has begun, chairman George Osborne has said.
The ex-chancellor accepted that the museum's reputation had suffered but said: 'It's a mess we will clear up.
A leading expert on looted antiquities told the BBC that the number of objects lost from the museum was staggering.
One staff member suspected of involvement has been sacked.
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And it was announced on Friday that Hartwig Fischer, the museum's director, is to step down immediately after admitting that a 2021 investigation was mishandled.
The museum, one of Britain's most prestigious cultural institutions, has been under pressure since revealing earlier this month that several treasures had been reported as "missing, stolen or damaged".
The items from the 15th century BC to the 19th century AD were kept primarily for academic and research purposes.
Mr Osborne - appointed chairman in June 2021 - told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "We believe we have been the victim of theft over a long period and, frankly, more could have been done to prevent it."
Asked where the missing items were, he said: "Some members of the antiquarian community are actively cooperating with us" and that the recoveries were a "silver lining to a dark cloud".
He said he was confident that "honest people" would return items found to have been stolen but admitted that "others may not".
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The British Museum, founded in 1753, has amassed a collection of around eight million objects, but as of 2019, only about 80,000 were on public display, with the rest in storage.
Mr Osborne said not all items had been "properly catalogued and registered" and suggested that "someone with knowledge of what is not registered has a great advantage in removing it".
The museum is working closely with the police, Mr Osborne said, adding that a "forensic job" is underway to establish what is missing. He said security at the museum needed to be improved.
"It has certainly damaged the reputation of the British Museum; that's a statement of the obvious, and that's why I'm apologising on its behalf," Mr Osborne added.
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Mr Osborne said "more could have been done" after concerns about the theft were first raised in February 2021.
Asked why they were not taken seriously, he said he did not believe there was a "cover-up" at the top of the museum but said it was "possible" that "groupthink" among senior staff meant they "could not believe there was an insider" stealing treasures.
Christos Tsirogiannis, a forensic archaeologist who chairs a Unesco group on the illicit trade in antiquities, described the thefts as the worst in modern history.
He told BBC News: "It's by far the most significant theft I know of from a museum, especially one of this calibre.
"It's a huge amount for any museum, but for it to happen at the British Museum makes it even worse."
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Disaster waiting to happen
Dr Tsirogiannis called on the museum to immediately publish a list of missing items to help experts in the search.
He said: "I don't have any evidence to start checking. By not publishing a list of what is missing, they are tying the hands of experts who should be helping. I want to help, but I can't."
Mr Osborne told the BBC that the museum was working very closely with the police - "the only people" who can submit a list of stolen items to Interpol - and with the Art Loss Register, a stolen item register.
Professor Dan Hicks, a curator at Oxford University's Pitt Rivers Museum, criticised the quality of the British Museum's record keeping in the Guardian, saying "this was a disaster waiting to happen".
Mr Osborne admitted that not all objects in the British Museum's possession had been formally recorded.
He insisted that it was "not unique" for a significant museum not to have fully catalogued its entire collection and that it was "ahead of many major museums in doing this work".
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Dr Tsirogiannis said that recording objects was the "primary responsibility of a museum". He claimed the British Museum had "consciously decided to put money into glossy catalogues and events rather than recording its objects".
Fischer, director since 2016, confirmed on Friday that he would leave his role once an interim replacement had been appointed.
The museum director was previously due to step down in 2024.
He also apologised for making "misjudged" comments, claiming that the antiques dealer who first raised concerns in 2021 had withheld information about the missing items.
Deputy director Jonathan Williams - involved in the 2021 investigation - will step back from his regular duties pending the outcome of an independent review launched by the museum.
The scandal has raised questions about the British Museum's broader role as an institution that houses objects worldwide.