British Museum heist raises concerns over missing Iraqi artifacts
Shafaq News / The recent revelation of the pilferage of nearly two thousand archaeological artifacts from the esteemed British Museum has ignited inquiries into the potential presence of Iraqi antiquities among the purloined treasures. The incident has unfolded under a cloak of circumspection, with museum authorities withholding intricate details of the pilfering and refraining from disclosing a comprehensive inventory of the stolen articles.
As per official disclosures, the bulk of the missing relics comprised of "small items stored within the repository" of a singular ensemble. The assemblage encompassed "golden jewelry, gemstone-adorned ornaments, and glassware dating back to the 15th century BCE through the 19th century CE," as attested by the museum's authorities. Notably, none of these artifacts have been on public display recently, predominantly preserved for academic and research purposes.
Official statements indicate that the archaeological pieces disappeared from the museum's holdings prior to the commencement of the year 2023. The act of theft transpired over a span of time rather than in a singular incident. Despite the British Museum's confirmation of the retrieval of some items that were surreptitiously sold online, according to the museum's director, George Osborne, this "scandal" has transcended local dimensions. It has evoked international reactions, prompting various nations to renew their demands for the repatriation of their artifacts currently housed within the British Museum. These nations argue that the institution lacks the capacity to safeguard and preserve these precious objects.
This contention mirrors the museum's own rationale for refusing to return artifacts to countries it deems "incapable of safeguarding their historical assets." Hartwig Fisher, the former director of the British Museum, resigned in the wake of thefts and damages suffered by the museum's collection, acknowledging that the institution's response to warnings about thefts in 2021 was insufficient.
No arrests have been made by the police in connection with the heist thus far. However, an employee of the museum has been dismissed and is currently under investigation. In this context, Laith Majid Hussein, the head of Iraq's Antiquities and Heritage Authority, points out that "the British Museum holds a plethora of Iraqi antiquities, but there is no record of them due to these artifacts leaving unofficially since the 18th century through antiquities traders and unofficial excavation missions."
Hussein notes that the museum has not published a list of the stolen items, their types, or their origins to ascertain the presence of Iraqi artifacts. It was expected that an inventory would be conducted post the incident to determine the extent of the loss. Formal requests will be made in this regard to learn about the steps taken after the robbery.
In conclusion, Hussein emphasizes the imperative of "safeguarding Iraqi artifacts or repatriating them to their place of origin." Notably, Iraq reclaimed 6,000 antiquities in March of the previous year that had been on loan to Britain for a century for the purposes of study and research, spanning various stages of Iraqi civilizations. Iraqi President Abdullatif Jamal Rashid hailed this as the second-largest artifact repatriation in Iraq's history, commending the collaborative efforts with the British Museum in restoring the borrowed Iraqi artifacts.
Additionally, Ahmad al-Sahhaf, spokesperson of Iraq's Foreign Ministry, confirmed that the country has recovered over 34,000 artifacts in the past five years, including those repatriated from the United States, South Korea, Spain, Lebanon, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. Post the 2003 invasion of Iraq by the United States, the years that followed witnessed the large-scale theft of artifacts, both from museums such as the Iraqi National Museum, and through illicit excavations at archaeological sites nationwide, amid a security vacuum.
Some valuable artifacts were also destroyed, particularly during the period of ISIS control after 2014. Statues and relics were vandalized at the Mosul Museum in Nineveh, with precious artifacts looted and smuggled abroad.
