British Museum curator pictured for the first time since he was sacked following disappearance of 2,000 artefacts from world renowned institute

The British Museum curator fired after 2,000 artifacts went missing has resurfaced – unlike the lost treasures.

Peter Higgs – a world-renowned expert on ancient Greece and Rome – has kept a low profile after suddenly losing his job in July amid the scandal that engulfed the leading museum.

But the Mail caught him on camera outside his humble £550,000 semi-period in Hastings, East Sussex, this weekend.

Looking relaxed in the sun, 56-year-old Mr Higgs, who held his job for 30 years, was also seen driving his Nissan Micra around the seaside town.

He maintained his silence on the allegations of “thefts,” but would deny any wrongdoing. The museum has refused to explain his resignation – although the uproar also led to the resignation of its £240,000-a-year director, Hartwig Fischer.

He quit after admitting the museum “didn’t respond as comprehensively as it should to warnings in 2021 and to the issue that has now fully emerged.”

Mr Fischer’s replacement, Sir Mark Jones, has previously suggested that the Elgin Marbles could be shared with the Greeks.

The ‘Marbles’ were controversially bought by Lord Elgin between 1801 and 1805, removed from the Parthenon in Athens and returned to Britain. They remain a jewel in the museum’s crown.

But in recent decades, pressure has mounted to return the Marbles to Greece – despite a law that means only MPs have the power to give away British Museum property.

When Sir Mark headed the V&A in 2002, he suggested we share the Marbles – and that doing nothing was not an option. He said, “There has to be a possibility that something could work for all parties now. I believe it is possible to develop partnerships.

‘It can be good to exhibit objects in different places. It is not necessarily a matter of transferring ownership or returning the marbles for good. Apathy is our great enemy.’ Mr Higgs’ son Greg, 21, has maintained his father’s innocence, saying ‘his name has been completely dragged through the mud’.

He added: “He’s not happy about it at all. He lost his job and his reputation and I don’t think it was fair. It couldn’t have been (him). I don’t think anything is even missing, as far as I know.’

But Mr. Higgs’ faithful son is wrong on that last point.

Peter Higgs – a world-renowned expert on ancient Greece and Rome – has kept a low profile after suddenly losing his job in July amid the scandal that engulfed the leading museum

Sir Mark Jones has previously suggested that the Elgin Marbles could be shared with the Greeks

It is revealed that three years ago the museum was told that an employee was stealing after valuable items were put up for sale on eBay

Last month, the 264-year-old London museum announced it would launch an independent security inquiry after treasures from its collection were “missing, stolen or damaged.”

Artifacts from the 15th century BC to the 19th century AD were found to have disappeared from the vast storage area. They were among the eight million artifacts stored in the museum and used for research purposes.

And it turns out that the museum was told three years ago that an employee stole after precious items were put up for sale on eBay. The seller operated under a name previously used by Mr Higgs online.

But the museum actually ignored the warnings.

Treasures worth up to £50,000 were reportedly advertised for as little as £40, with some said to have sold as early as 2016.

Yet the true extent of the missing artifacts was only determined early this year, when the Metropolitan Police’s economic crime command was belatedly called in. Detectives have since interviewed an unnamed man, but no one has been arrested or charged.

Dismissed curator Higgs had written books about his work at the museum, most notably co-authoring a book about the ancient Egyptian queen Cleopatra.

In 2021, he was also involved in curating a traveling exhibition on the warriors, heroes and athletes of ancient Greece, bringing together nearly 180 artifacts.