The original collection was owned by Sir Hans Sloane who suggested in his will that the government purchase his house with everything in it - which they did. Hence the birth of the British Museum which today is one of the world’s greatest treasure houses. In spite of its name, most of the collection is not actually British. It is a museum of classical antiquities, prints and drawings as well as having room for contemporary exhibitions.
British Museum - Special Exhibitions
2007 brought a taste of one of the great archeological discoveries in the world - the Terracotta Warriors exhibition from China. In 2008, another fabulous exhibition was on show, dealing with the reign of another great emperor, Hadrian, who ruled an empire that comprised much of Europe, northern Africa and the Middle East. In 2009, until 14 June, is Shah 'Abbas - The Remaking of Iran.
British Museum - Plan Ahead
It is easy to be defeated by the British Museum so try to be selective. If you have not researched and planned ahead a good tip would be to buy a guide book at the entrance, take yourself to the coffee shop, and decide what it is you really want to see. Don’t think you can do it all in one day - it’s impossible.
There is something here for everyone, from the prehistoric to the contemporary. Some popular exhibits are listed below. If you are short on time these would give you a variety of things to see.
British Museum - The Egyptian Collection - with its famous mummy room exhibiting coffins, mummies, funerary masks, plus much more.
British Museum - The Elgin Marbles - over a hundred marble statues and bits of friezes from the Parthenon in Athens. Some are chipped, armless or headless, and why wouldn’t they be, since they were created some four and a half thousand years ago. But they remain an impressive representation of the ancient Greek gods.
British Museum - Sutton Hoo treasure hoard. Magnificent Anglo Saxon treasures found in a 7th-century ship hauled from the river at Sutton Hoo in East Anglia (south-east England)
British Museum - The Lindow Man
The body of a man who died more than two thousand years ago was found in a bog at Lindow Moss, near Manchester. It is well preserved and is believed to have been a human sacrifice as it has a number of different wounds on its body.
British Museum - The Rosetta Stone
The stone was carved in 196BC by a group of Egyptian priests to honour and praise the pharaoh. Over the centuries many people tried to decipher the hieroglyphics and this was only achieved in 1822 by a French scholar. For the first time there was a key that would unlock the secrets of ancient Egyptian writing.
Admission to the museum is free but there is a charge for special exhibitions.
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