Celebrated for treasures such as the Rosetta Stone, Egyptian Mothers, and Parthenon Sculpture, the collection covers archeology, world culture, science, decoration, and applied arts, as well as print and art notes. Exploration from the Museum of Major Civilizations of the World, a live program of Blockbuster Exhibitions.
The British Museum won the 2011 Art Fund Award for its historic project, A History of the World, which included a very successful 100-episode series of the same name on BBC Radio 4.
The museum was opened in 1753 and has gradually expanded. In 2000, it unveiled the glass-enclosed inner courtyard of the area previously occupied by the British Library. In the spring of 2014, the biggest development in museum history was unveiled. The World Conservation and Exhibition Center is home to new conservatories and laboratories, as well as the impressive New Sansbury Exhibition Gallery, a space designed for this purpose. This allows the museum to host more ambitious exhibitions.
Aside from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, the British Museum is the world’s largest collection of Egyptian antiquities with a history of about 11,000 years. Of the seven permanent galleries, the ones on the second floor are the most powerful, adding a unique mummy and coffin. Rosetta Stone, the key to our contemporary understanding of hieroglyphs, should not be missed.
A significant collection of Greek and Roman artifacts dates back to c. Covers the Greek Bronze Age up to the 4th century. Star attractions include the controversial Parthenon sculpture in the Acropolis, the Wonderful Tomb in the Gallery, the Tomb of Halicarnassus, and the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus – two of Seven ancient wonders of the world.
One of the most important discoveries in British archeology, the Anglo-Saxon Sutton Ho treasure has recently been given more prominence with a spectacular new display connecting other cultures in the museum. The museum’s world cultural gallery is one of its most fascinating. African galleries feature prominent Benin bronze. The applied arts of China and Japan are well represented, and the gallery of Islamic art is the largest in the world, including paintings, pottery, and glassware. The galleries of the Middle East are dominated by a large collection of Mesopotamian artifacts.
The British Museum, a national collection of prints and paintings, dates from the 14th century to the present and includes works by all major European and British artists.
