British Museum London

Rosetta Stone,Lewis Chessmen,Sutton Hoo Treasure,Egyptian Mummies

Jun 25, 2008

The British Museum has some of the world's greatest treasures, from the colossal Elgin Marbles to the delicate Portland Vase. Do it the easy way - see top tip below.

There’s an awful lot to see in its unparalleled collections which span over two million years of history. The secret of coming to grips with the British Museum is to have a plan which will allow you to taste what’s on offer without exhausting yourself in the process. One way of doing this is to pick up a free leaflet at the information desk which lists some of the museum’s highlights. Seeing a few of these first will give you an idea of how to negotiate your way around. Next visit, you can make up your own list.

Sutton Hoo Treasure

In 1939 a ship burial was discovered at Sutton Hoo, a large cemetery reserved for the aristocracy of the 7th century AD kingdom of East Anglia, located near what is now the English county of Suffolk. Although no body was found, there were treasures unearthed that are believed to have belonged to the East Anglian King Rædwald who died in AD 624/5.

A helmet and a great shield, probably used by the king himself, were brought to light, along with a belt made of gold, its buckle inlaid with red garnets, a purse full of gold coins and a set of silver bowls, plus other smaller items. The king was well set up for his journey into the afterlife.

The Lewis Chessmen

In 1831 a beautifully carved set of chessmen was discovered in a sand bank on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebridian Islands of Scotland, where the men had lain undisturbed for hundreds of years. During the 12th century the Outer Hebrides were ruled by Norway and the chessmen are believed to have been made in Norway.

The little men are carved from walrus tusks. Some look a bit down in the dumps, while others look quite comical. Their creator definitely had a sense of humour. Some of the men retained traces of red stain, indicating that red and white was used for the chessboard rather than black and white. A reproduction of the chessmen was featured in the movie Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.

Rosetta Stone

One of the top attractions in the musuem, the Rosetta Stone, was carved in 196 BC when Greece ruled Egypt. It is a large block of stone whose surface is covered with a carved text in two languages, Egyptian and Greek, in three different scripts. It was written this way in order that Greeks and Egyptians alike could understand it. The Stone was found in 1799 by French soldiers who were building a fort in Egypt and it took its name from Rosetta, the town in which it was discovered.

By the time it was discovered there was nobody who could decipher the hieroglyphics and this situation remained unchanged for over two thousand years until, in 1882, a Frenchman named Jean-François Champollion succeeded in deciphering the text, which was written by a group of priests. It praises the pharaoh and lists all the things he did for the priests and the people of Egypt..

The Rosetta Stone is not a particularly spectacular or beautiful object but it has greatly enhanced our knowledge of the ancient world. It has been called “the most famous piece of rock in the world" and is one of the most popular of the museum’s treasures.

Egyptian Mummies

The copyright of the article British Museum London in Historical Travel is owned by Cathy Smith. Permission to republish British Museum London in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.