London

Have you got our treasure? British Museum wants help finding missing ancient loot

Some 2,000 items are missing from the British Museum in London and it wants the public's help in finding them.

Items similar to those missing include and a late Bronze Age earring and a Greek gold chain necklace dating from the 3rd century BC.
British Museum

One of the world’s most famous museums has a problem: Some of its treasures are missing and it needs the public's help to find them.

The British Museum in London this week appealed to the public to help recover around 2,000 lost, stolen or damaged items from its vast collection.

Details and images were released Wednesday of the missing loot — which includes jewelry and gems from the Greek and Roman eras — in the hope of generating some leads on where they ended up.

“If you are concerned that you may be, or have been, in possession of items from the British Museum, or if you have any other information that may help us, please contact us at recovery@britishmuseum.org,” the museum said in a statement.

It came after the museum admitted last month that there had been a major theft, saying it had fired an unnamed member of the staff and announcing an independent review and recovery operation.

The missing loot includes gems and semiprecious stones set in rings. Some are ancient and some are modern imitations, while some feature classical figures or animals. Also stolen were golden earrings dating to the Late Bronze Age, around the 15th the the 11th century B.C.

Read the full story on NBCNews.com.

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