The British Museum said Wednesday that a member of its staff has been dismissed after items dating back as far as the 15th century B.C. were found to be missing, stolen or damaged.
The museum said it has also ordered an independent review of security and a ‘‘vigorous program to recover the missing items.″
The stolen artifacts include gold jewelry and gems of semi-precious stones and glass dating from the 15th century B.C. to the 19th century A.D. Most were small items kept in a storeroom and none had been on display recently, the museum said.
“Our priority is now threefold: first, to recover the stolen items; second, to find out what, if anything, could have been done to stop this; and third, to do whatever it takes, with investment in security and collection records, to make sure this doesn’t happen again,″ said George Osborne, the museum’s chair.
“This incident only reinforces the case for the reimagination of the museum we have embarked upon," Osborne said.
The museum said legal action would be taken against the dismissed staff member and that the matter was under investigation by London’s Metropolitan Police Service.
The 264-year-old British Museum is a major London tourist attraction, drawing visitors from around the world who come to see a vast collection of artifacts ranging from the Rosetta Stone that unlocked the language of ancient Egypt to scrolls bearing 12th century Chinese poetry and masks created by the indigenous people of Canada.
But the museum has also attracted controversy because it has resisted calls from communities around the world to return items of historical significance that were acquired during the era of the British Empire. The most famous of these disputes include marble carvings from the Parthenon in Greece and the Benin bronzes from west Africa.
Hartwig Fischer, the director of the British Museum, apologized and said the institution was determined to put things right.
“This is a highly unusual incident,'' said Fischer said. “I know I speak for all colleagues when I say that we take the safeguarding of all the items in our care extremely seriously.''
Vaughan Bagley, senior manager of social impact at MTV Entertainment Group, and Jorge Alvarez, a Youth Action Forum participant, joins Cheddar News to discuss MTV's Mental Health Youth Action Forum.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk is offering to buy Twitter, saying the social media platform he has criticized for not living up to free speech principles needs to be transformed as a private company.
The Brooklyn subway shooting suspect called the cops on himself, Texas sends a bus full of migrants to Washington DC, and you can now pay with the palm of your hand. Here is all the news you Need2Know for Thursday, April 14, 2022.
Melissa Cohn, Regional Vice President at William Raveis Mortgage, joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss the Mortgage Bankers Association's decision to lower its 2022 outlook, as surging prices and tight supply weigh on the market.
Sam Carcamo was in the adjacent car on the N train Tuesday morning when Frank James was suspected of opening fire on a crowded train car. Carcamo joined Cheddar's Ken Bufa, to share details of what he witnessed and how he is coping today. “Everyone worked together so well to get to people that were injured," he said. Carcamo also noted he converted the video he took of the incident into an NFT for the purposes of raising money to help those who were hurt in the attack.
Ron Carson, CEO and Founder of Carson Wealth, sits down with Cheddar's Hena Doba to share how he keeps a strong connection to nature and prioritizes mental health in his formula for success.
Bravo’s "Vanderpump Rules" alumnus Lala Kent has recently become a new mom, juggles three beauty and lifestyle brands, and has a podcast — on top of becoming a New York Times best selling author. Kent joined Cheddar News to discuss her new paperback edition of "Give Them Lala" and mused about the possibility of joining the "Real Housewives" Franchise. "I was just feeling like there's so many times where we meet people or we don't connect with someone and we forget that they've been through certain things to get them to where they are," she said about writing her book. "And I just wanted people to feel less alone and we're bonded more than we think and here's my hot mess of a story and how I got to where I am."
Ice Cube's 3-on-3 basketball league, the Big3, is introducing decentralized team ownership to fans with the chance to own a minority stake in the 12 teams through blockchain technology, a first for professional sports. The rapper, actor, and filmmaker joined Cheddar News to talk about the new ownership model using NFTs. "This is a perfect time to offer it to fans and not just wait for fat cats to come and want to buy the teams but for fans to be able to be a part of it,” he said.
Fuse’s new original series, We Need To Talk About America features the takes of first-generation and bicultural comedians on American culture. Tim Chantarangsu, an internet and television personality and a panelist on the show, joined Cheddar News to talk about talking about America. "I think you get to see different spectrums of just like the most trailer park-iest parts of the country to the most, like just weird and random cities and just the weird things people do."
