ബ്രിട്ടീഷ് മ്യൂസിയം

ലണ്ടനിലെ ബ്ലൂംസ് ബെറിയിൽ  Bloomsbury -സ്ഥിതിചെയ്യുന്ന മനുഷ്യചരിത്രത്തിനും കലയ്ക്കും സംസ്കാരത്തിനുമായി സമർപ്പിക്കപ്പെട്ടിട്ടുള്ള ഒരു പൊതു സ്ഥാപനമാണ് ബ്രിട്ടീഷ് മ്യൂസിയം - The British Museum. ഇവിടുത്തെ സ്ഥിരം ശേഖരം തന്നെ ഏതാണ്ട് 80 ലക്ഷത്തിൽ അധികം എണ്ണം വരും. ഏറ്റവും വലിയ മ്യൂസിയങ്ങളിൽ ഒന്നാണിത്

ചരിത്രം

 Hans Sloane 

Foundation (1753)


Cabinet of curiosities (1753–78)

Indolence and energy (1778–1800)

Growth and change (1800–25)


The largest building site in Europe (1825–50)

Collecting from the wider world (1850–75)

Scholarship and legacies (1875–1900)

New century, new building (1900–25)

Disruption and reconstruction (1925–50)

A new public face (1950–75)

The Great Court emerges (1975–2000)

The British Museum today

Governance

Building
The Enlightenment Gallery at museum, which formerly held the King's Library, 2007|thumb|left

Departments
Department of Ancient Egypt and Sudan


Key highlights of the collections include:

Predynastic and Early Dynastic period (c. 6000 BC – c. 2690 BC)
Mummy of Ginger from Gebelein, (c. 3400 BC)
The Battlefield Palette and Hunters Palette, two cosmetic palettes with complex decorative schemes, (c. 3100 BC)
Stela of King Peribsen, Abydos, (c. 2720–2710 BC)

Old Kingdom (2690–2181 BC)
Granite statue of Ankhwa, the shipbuilder, Saqqara, Egypt, 3rd Dynasty, (around 2650 BC)
Several of the original casing stones from the Great Pyramid of Giza, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, (c. 2570 BC)
Wooden tomb statue of Tjeti, Fifth to Sixth Dynasty, (about 2345–2181 BC)

Middle Kingdom (2134–1690 BC)
Inner and outer coffin of Sebekhetepi, Beni Hasan, (about 2125–1795 BC)
Limestone stela of Heqaib, Abydos, Egypt, 12th Dynasty, (1990–1750 BC)
Block statue and stela of Sahathor, 12th Dynasty, reign of Amenemhat II, (about 1922–1878 BC)

New Kingdom (1549–1069 BC)
Fragment of the beard of the Great Sphinx of Giza, (14th century BC)
Colossal head from a statue of Amenhotep III, (1350 BC)
Colossal limestone bust of Amenhotep III, (1350 BC)
Amarna Tablets, 99 out of 382 tablets found, second greatest collection in the world after the Vorderasiatisches Museum, Berlin (203 tablets), (1350 BC)
List of the kings of Egypt from the Temple of Ramesses II, (1250 BC)

Third Intermediate Period (1069–664 BC)
Mummy case and coffin of Nesperennub, Thebes, (c.800 BC)
Statue of Amun in the form of a ram protecting King Taharqa, (683 BC)
Inner and outer coffins of the priest Hor, Deir el-Bahari, Thebes, 25th Dynasty, (about 680 BC)

Late Period (664–332 BC)
Saite Sarcophagus of Satsobek, the vizier (prime minister) of the northern part of Egypt in the reign of Psammetichus I, (664–610 BC)
Bronze figure of Isis and Horus, North Saqqara, Egypt, (600 BC)
Obelisks and sarcophagus of Pharaoh Nectanebo II, (360–343 BC)

Ptolemaic dynasty (305–30 BC)
The famous Rosetta Stone, trilingual stela that unlocked the ancient Egyptian civilisation, (196 BC)
Giant sculpture of a scarab beetle, (32–30 BC)
Mummy of Hornedjitef (inner coffin), Thebes, (3rd century BC)

Roman Period (30 BC-641 AD)
The Meriotic Hamadab Stela from the Kingdom of Kush found near the ancient site of Meroë in Sudan, 24 BC
Lid of the coffin of Soter and Cleopatra from Qurna, Thebes, (early 2nd century AD)
Mummy of a youth with a portrait of the deceased, Hawara, (100–200 AD)

Department of Greece and Rome


Key highlights of the collections include:

Parthenon
The Parthenon Marbles (Elgin Marbles), (447–438 BC)

Erechtheion
A surviving column, (420–415 BC)
One of six remaining Caryatids, (415 BC)

Temple of Athena Nike
Surviving frieze slabs, (427–424 BC)

Temple of Bassae
Twenty-three surviving blocks of the frieze from the interior of the temple, (420–400 BC)

Mausoleum at Halicarnassus
Two colossal free-standing figures identified as Maussollos and his wife Artemisia, (c. 350 BC)
Part of an impressive horse from the chariot group adorning the summit of the Mausoleum, (c. 350 BC)
The Amazonomachy frieze – A long section of relief frieze showing the battle between Greeks and Amazons, (c. 350 BC)

Temple of Artemis in Ephesus
One of the sculptured column bases, (340–320 BC)
Part of the Ionic frieze situated above the colonnade, (330–300 BC)

Knidos in Asia Minor
Demeter of Knidos, (350 BC)
Lion of Knidos, (350–200 BC)

Xanthos in Asia Minor
Lion Tomb, (550–500 BC)
Harpy Tomb, (480–470 BC)
Nereid Monument, partial reconstruction of a large and elaborate Lykian tomb, (390–380 BC)
Tomb of Merehi, (390–350 BC)
Tomb of Payava, (375–350 BC)

Wider collection

Prehistoric Greece and Italy (3300 BC – 8th century BC)
Over thirty Cycladic figures from islands in the Aegean Sea, many collected by James Theodore Bent, Greece, (3300–2000 BC)
Material from the Palace of Knossos including a huge pottery storage jar, some donated by Sir Arthur Evans, Crete, Greece, (1900–1100 BC)
The Minoan gold treasure from Aegina, northern Aegean, Greece, (1850–1550 BC)
Segments of the columns and architraves from the Treasury of Atreus, Peloponnese, Greece, (1350–1250 BC)
Elgin Amphora, highly decorated pottery vase attributed to the Dipylon Master, Athens, Greece, (8th century BC)
Bronze Statuette of Athletic Spartan Girl

Etruscan (8th century BC – 1st century BC)
Some of the artefacts from the Castellani Tomb in Palestrina, central Italy, (8th–6th century BC)
Contents of the Isis Tomb, Vulci, (570–560 BC)
Painted terracotta plaques (the so-called Boccanera Plaques) from a tomb in Cerveteri, (560–550 BC)
Oscan Tablet, one of the most important inscriptions in the Oscan language, (300–100 BC)
Sarcophagus of Seianti Hanunia Tlesnasa from Chiusi, (150–140 BC)

Ancient Greece (8th century BC – 4th century AD)
Group of life-size archaic statues from the Sacred Way at Didyma, western Turkey, (600–580 BC)
Dedicatory Inscription by Alexander the Great from Priene in Turkey (330 BC)
Head from the colossal statue of the Asclepius of Milos, Greece, (325–300 BC)
Bronze sculpture of a Greek poet known as the Arundel Head, western Turkey, (2nd–1st centuries BC)
Remains of the Scylla monument at Bargylia, south west Anatolia, Turkey, (200–150 BC)

Ancient Rome (1st century BC – 4th century AD)
Cameo glass Portland Vase, the most famous glass vessel from ancient Rome, (1–25 AD)
Silver Warren Cup with homoerotic scenes, found near Jerusalem, (5–15 AD)
Discus-thrower (Discobolos)Tony Kitto, "The celebrated connoisseur: Charles Townley, 1737–1805" Minerva Magazine May/June 2005, in connection with a British Museum exhibition celebrating the bicentennial of the Townley purchase. Townley marbles Burnley  and Bronze Head of Hypnos from Civitella d'Arna, Italy, (1st–2nd centuries AD)
Capitals from some of the pilasters of the Pantheon, Rome, (126 AD)
Jennings Dog, a statue of a Molossian guard dog, central Italy, (2nd century AD)

Department of the Middle East



Key highlights of the collections include:

Nimrud:

Assyrian palace reliefs from:
The North-West Palace of Ashurnasirpal II, (883–859 BC)
Palace of Adad-nirari III, (811–783 BC)
The Sharrat-Niphi Temple, (c. 9th century BC)
Temple of Ninurta, (c. 9th century BC)
South-East Palace ('Burnt Palace'), (8th–7th century BC)
Central- Palace of Tiglath-Pileser III, (745–727 BC)
South-West Palace of Esarhaddon, (681–669 BC)
The Nabu Temple (Ezida), (c. 7th century BC)

Sculptures:
Pair of Human Headed Lamassu Lions, (883–859 BC)
Human Headed Lamassu Bull, sister piece in The Metropolitan Museum of Art, (883–859 BC)
Human Headed Lamassu Lion, sister piece in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, (883–859 BC)
Colossal Statue of a Lion, (883–859 BC)
Stela and Statue of King Ashurnasirpal II, (883–859 BC)
The Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III, (858–824 BC)
Stela of Shamshi-Adad V, (824–811 BC)
Rare Head of Human Headed 'Lamassu', recovered from the South-West Palace of Esarhaddon, (811–783 BC)
Bilingual Assyrian lion weights with both cuneiform and Phoenician inscriptions, (800–700 BC)

Nineveh:

Assyrian palace reliefs and sculptures from:
South-West Palace of Sennacherib, (705–681 BC)
North-Palace of Ashurbanipal, (c. 645 BC), including the Lion Hunt of Ashurbanipal and Lachish relief
The famous Garden Party Relief, (645 BC)
White Obelisk of Ashurnasirpal I, (1050–1031 BC)

Royal Library of Ashurbanipal:
A large collection of cuneiform tablets of enormous importance, approximately 22,000 inscribed clay tablets, (7th century BC)
The Flood Tablet, relating part of the famous Epic of Gilgamesh, (7th century BC)
Taylor Prism, hexagonal clay foundation record, (691 BC)

Khorsabad and Balawat:
Alabaster bas-reliefs from the Palace of Sargon II, (710–705 BC)
Pair of Human Headed Winged Lamassu Bulls, (710–705 BC)
The Balawat Gates of Shalmaneser III, (860 BC)

Ur:
The Standard of Ur with depictions of war and peace, (2600 BC)
Queen's Lyre and gold drinking cup from Queen Puabi's tomb, (2600 BC)
The Ram in a Thicket, one of pair, the other is in Philadelphia, (2600–2400 BC)
The Royal Game of Ur, an ancient game board, (2600–2400 BC)

Wider collection:
Plastered human skull from Jericho, a very early form of portraiture, Palestine, (7000–6000 BC)
Tell Brak Head, one of the oldest portrait busts from the Middle East, north east Syria, (3500–3300 BC)
Uruk Trough, one of the earliest surviving works of narrative relief sculpture from the Middle East, southern Iraq, (3300–3000 BC)
Statue of Idrimi from the ancient city of Alalakh, southern Turkey, (1600 BC)
A fine collection of Urartian bronzes, which now form the core of the Anatolian collection, eastern Turkey, (9th–6th centuries BC)
Tablet of Shamash, depicting the sun-god Shamash, from Sippar, Iraq, (early 9th century BC)
Two large Assyrian stelae from Kurkh, southern Turkey, (850 BC)
Shebna Inscription from Siloam near Jerusalem, Israel, (7th century BC)
East India House Inscription from Babylon, Iraq, (604–562 BC)
Lachish Letters, group of ostraka written in alphabetic Hebrew from Lachish, Israel, (586 BC)
Cylinder of Nabonidus, foundation cylinder of King Nabonidus, Sippar, Iraq, (555–540 BC)
The famous Oxus Treasure, the largest ancient Persian hoard of gold artefacts, (550–330 BC)
The Punic-Libyan Inscription from the Mausoleum of Ateban, Dougga, Tunisia, (146 BC)
Amran Tablets found near Sana'a, Yemen, (1st century BC)
Two limestone ossuaries from caves in Jerusalem, (1st century AD)

Department of Prints and Drawings

Department of Britain, Europe and Prehistory


Key highlights of the collections include:

Stone Age (c. 3.4 million years BC – c. 2000 BC)
Palaeolithic material from across Africa, particularly Olduvai, Kalambo Falls, Olorgesailie and Cape Flats, (1.8 million BC onwards)
One of the 11 leaf-shaped points found near Volgu, Saône-et-Loire, France and estimated to be 16,000 years oldBritish Museum Highlights
Ice Age art from France including the Wolverine pendant of Les Eyzies, Montastruc decorated stone and Baton fragment, (c. 12–11,000 BC)
Ice Age art from Britain including the decorated jaw from Kendrick and Robin Hood Cave Horse, (11,500–10,000 BC)
Rare mesolithic artefacts from the site of Star Carr in Yorkshire, northern England, (8770–8460 BC)
Terracotta figurine from Vinča, Serbia, (5200–4900 BC)
Callaïs bead jewellery from Lannec-er-Ro'h and triangular pendant from Mané-er-Hroëk, Morbihan, Brittany, western France, (4700–4300 BC)
Section of the Sweet Track, an ancient timber causeway from the Somerset Levels, England, (3807/6 BC)
A number of Carved Stone Balls from Scotland, Ireland and northern England, (3200–2500 BC)
The three Folkton Drums, made from chalk and found in Yorkshire, northern England, (2600–2100 BC)

Bronze Age (c. 3300 BC – c. 600 BC)
Jet beaded necklace from Melfort in Argyll, Scotland, (c.3000 BC)
Gold lunula from Blessington, Ireland, one of nine from Ireland, Wales and Cornwall, (2400–2000 BC)
Early Bronze Age hoards from Snowshill, Driffield and Barnack in England, Arraiolos and Vendas Novas in Iberia and Neunheilingen and Biecz in central Europe (2280–1500 BC)
Contents of the Rillaton Barrow including a gold cup, and the related Ringlemere Cup, England, (1700–1500 BC)
Bronze Age hoards from Zsujta, Forró and Paks-Dunaföldvár in Hungary, (1600–1000 BC)
Large ceremonial swords or dirks from Oxborough and Beaune, western Europe, (1450–1300 BC)
Bronze shields from Moel Hebog and Rhyd-y-gors, Wales, (12th–10th centuries BC)
Gold hoards from Morvah and Towednack in Cornwall, Milton Keynes in Buckinghamshire and Mooghaun in Ireland, (1150–750 BC)
Dunaverney flesh-hook found near Ballymoney, Northern Ireland and part of the Dowris Hoard from County Offaly, Ireland, (1050–900 BC & 900–600 BC)
Late Bronze Age gold hoard from Abia de la Obispalía, Spain and an intricate gold collar from Sintra, Portugal, (10th–8th centuries BC)

Iron Age (c. 600 BC – c. 1st century AD)
Basse Yutz Flagons, a pair of bronze drinking vessels from Moselle, eastern France, (5th century BC)
Morel collection of La Tène material from eastern France, including the Somme-Bionne chariot burial and the Prunay Vase, (450-300BC)
Important finds from the River Thames including the Wandsworth Shield, Battersea Shield and Waterloo Helmet, as well as the Witham Shield from Lincolnshire, eastern England, (350–50 BC)
Pair of gold collars called the Orense Torcs from northwest Spain, (300–150 BC)
Other gold neck collars including the Ipswich Hoard and the Sedgeford Torc, England, (200–50 BC)
Winchester Hoard of gold jewellery from southern England and the Great Torc from Snettisham in Norfolk, East Anglia, (100 BC)
Cordoba and Arcillera Treasures, two silver Celtic hoards from Spain, (100–20 BC)
Lindow Man found by accident in a peat bog in Cheshire, England, (1st century AD)
Stanwick Hoard of horse and chariot fittings and the Meyrick Helmet, northern England, (1st century AD)
Lochar Moss Torc and two massive pairs of bronze armlets from Muthill and Strathdon, Scotland, (50–200 AD)

Romano-British (43 AD – 410 AD)
Tombstone of Roman procurator Gaius Julius Alpinus Classicianus from London, (1st century AD)
Ribchester, Guisborough and Witcham helmets once worn by Roman cavalry in Britain, (1st–2nd centuries AD)
Elaborate gold bracelets and ring found near Rhayader, central Wales, (1st–2nd centuries AD)
Bronze heads of the Roman Emperors Hadrian and Claudius, found in London and Suffolk, (1st–2nd centuries AD)
Vindolanda Tablets, important historical documents found near Hadrian's Wall in Northumberland, (1st–2nd centuries AD)
Wall-paintings and sculptures from the Roman Villa at Lullingstone, Kent, south east England,1st–4th centuries AD)
Capheaton and Backworth treasures, remnants of two important hoards from northern England, (2nd–3rd centuries AD)
Stony Stratford Hoard of copper headdresses, fibulae and silver votive plaques, central England, (3rd century AD)
Gold jewellery deposited at the site of Newgrange, Ireland, (4th century AD)
Thetford Hoard, late Roman jewellery from eastern England, (4th century AD)

Early Mediaeval (c. 4th century AD – c. 1000 AD)
Part of the Asyut, Domagnano, Artres, Sutri, Bergamo and Belluno Treasures, (4th–7th centuries AD)
Lycurgus Cup, a unique figurative glass cage cup, and the Byzantine Archangel ivory panel, (4th–6th centuries AD)
The Sutton Hoo treasure and Taplow burial, with some of the greatest finds from the early Middle Ages in Europe, England, (6th–7th centuries AD)
Two Viking hoards from Norway known as the Lilleberge Viking Burial and Tromsø Burial and the Cuerdale Hoard from England, (7th–10th centuries AD)
Irish reliquaries such as the Kells Crozier and Bell Shrine of St. Cuileáin, (7th–11th centuries AD)
Early Anglo Saxon Franks Casket, a unique ivory container from northern England, (8th century AD)
A number of important pseudo-penannular brooches including the Londesborough Brooch and the Breadalbane Brooch, Ireland and Scotland, (8th–9th centuries AD)
Carolingian cut gems known as the Lothair Crystal and Saint-Denis Crystal, central Europe, (9th century AD)
Anglo-Saxon Fuller and Strickland Brooches with their complex, niello-inlaid design, England, (9th century AD)
Seax of Beagnoth, iron sword with long Anglo-Saxon Runic inscription, London, England, (10th century AD)
The earlier of the River Witham swords

Mediaeval (c. 1000 AD – c. 1500 AD)
A number of mediaeval ivory panels including the Borradaile, Wernher and John Grandisson Triptychs, (10th–14th centuries AD)
The famous Lewis chessmen found in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland, (12th century AD)
Reliquary of St. Eustace from the treasury of Basel Munster, Switzerland, (12th century AD)
The unique Warwick Castle Citole, an early form of guitar, central England, (1280–1330 AD)
Savernake Horn, elephant ivory horn with silver gilt mounts, England and Scotland, (1325–1350 AD)
Asante Jug, mysteriously found at the Asante Court in the late 19th century, England, (1390–1400 AD)
Holy Thorn Reliquary bequeathed by Ferdinand de Rothschild as part of the Waddesdon Bequest, Paris, France, (14th century AD)
Dunstable Swan Jewel,  a gold and enamel brooch in the form of a swan, England, (14th century AD)
A silver astrolabe quadrant from Canterbury, southeastern England, (14th century AD)
Magnificent cups made from precious metal such as the Royal Gold Cup and the Lacock Cup, western Europe, (14th–15th centuries AD)
The later of the River Witham swords

Renaissance to Modern (c. 1500 AD – present)
The Armada Service, 26 silver dishes found in Devon, south west England, late 16th to early 17th centuries AD
Early Renaissance Lyte Jewel, presented to Thomas Lyte of Lytes Cary, Somerset by King James I of England, (1610)
Huguenot silver from the Peter Wilding bequest, England, (18th century AD)
Pair of so-called Cleopatra Vases from the Chelsea porcelain factory, London, England, (1763)
Jaspar ware vase known as the Pegasus Vase made by Josiah Wedgwood, England, (1786)
Two of Charles Darwin's chronometers used on the voyage of HMS Beagle, (1795–1805)
The Hull Grundy Gift of jewellery, Europe and North America, (19th century AD)
Oak clock with mother-of-pearl engraving designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh, (1919)
Silver tea-infuser designed by Marianne Brandt from the Bauhaus art school, Germany, (1924)
The Rosetta Vase, earthenware pottery vase designed by the contemporary British artist Grayson Perry, (2011)

The many hoards of treasure include those of Mildenhall, Esquiline, Carthage, First Cyprus, Lampsacus, Water Newton, Hoxne, and Vale of York, (4th–10th centuries AD)

Department of Asia


East Asia
A large collection of Chinese ritual bronzes, (from c. 1500 BC onwards)
Huixian Bronze Hu, an identical pair of bronze vessels from the Eastern Zhou period, China, (5th century BC)
Japanese antiquities from the Kofun period excavated by the pioneering archaeologist William Gowland, (3rd–6th centuries AD)
The famous Admonitions Scroll by Chinese artist Gu Kaizhi, (344–406 AD)
The colossal Amitābha Buddha from Hancui, China, (585 AD)
A set of ceramic Tang dynasty tomb figures of Liu Tingxun, (c.728 AD)
Seated Luohan from Yixian, one from a set of eight surviving statues, China, (907–1125 AD)
A fine assemblage of Buddhist paintings from Dunhuang, western China, collected by the British-Hungarian explorer Aurel Stein, (5th–11th centuries AD)
Pericival David collection of Chinese ceramics, (10th–18th centuries AD)
Ivory stand in the form of a seated lion, Chos-'khor-yan-rtse monastery in Tibet, (13th century AD)
Pair of ceramic Kakiemon elephants from Japan, (17th century AD)
Japanese prints including The Great Wave off Kanagawa, (1829–32)

South Asia
Excavated objects from the Indus Valley sites of Mohenjo-daro, and Harappa, Pakistan, (2500–2000 BC)
Sandstone fragment of a Pillar of Ashoka with Brahmi inscription from Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India, (238 BC)
The Kulu Vase found near a monastery in Himachal Pradesh, one of the earliest examples of figurative art from the sub-continent, northern India, (1st century BC)
Copper plate from Taxila, with important Kharoshthi inscription, Pakistan, (1st century BC – 1st century AD)
Indo-Scythian sandstone Mathura Lion Capital and Bracket figure from one of the gateways to the Great Stupa at Sanchi, central India, (1st century AD)
Bimaran Casket and Wardak Vase, reliquaries from ancient stupas in Afghanistan, (1st–2nd centuries AD)
Relic deposits from the stupas at Manikyala, Ahin Posh, Sanchi and Gudivada, (1st–3rd centuries AD)
Seated Buddha from Gandhara, and other Gandhara objects from Kafir Kot, Jamal Garhi and Takht-i-Bahi, Pakistan, (1st–3rd centuries AD)
The Buddhapad Hoard of bronze images from southern India, (6th–8th centuries AD)
Stone statue of Buddha from the Sultanganj hoard, Bihar, eastern India. (7th–8th centuries AD)
Statue of Tara from Sri Lanka and the Thanjavur Shiva from Tamil Nadu, southern India, (8th century & 10th century AD)
Statue of the goddess Ambika found at Dhar in central India, (1034 AD)
Sculpture of the two Jain tirthankaras Rishabhanatha and Mahavira, Orissa, India, 11th–12th century AD

South-east Asia
Earthenware tazza from the Phùng Nguyên culture, northern Vietnam, (2000–1500 BC)
Pottery vessels and sherds from the ancient site of Ban Chiang, Thailand, (10th–1st centuries BC)
Bronze bell from Klang, Malaysia, (2nd century BC)
Group of six Buddhist clay votive plaques found in a cave in Patania, Penang, Malaysia (6th–11th centuries AD)
The famous Sambas Treasure of buddhist gold and silver figures from west Borneo, Indonesia, (8th–9th centuries AD)
Two stone Buddha heads from the temple at Borobodur in Java, Indonesia, (9th century AD)
Sandstone Champa figure of a rampant lion, Vietnam, (11th century AD)
Stone figure representing the upper part of an eleven-headed Avalokiteśvara, Cambodia, (12th century AD)
Bronze figure of a seated Buddha from Bagan, Burma, (12th–13th centuries AD)
Hoard of Southern Song dynasty ceramic vessels excavated at Pinagbayanan, Taysan Municipality, Philippines, (12th–13th centuries AD)
Statue of the Goddess Mamaki from Candi Jago, eastern Java, Indonesia, (13th–14th centuries AD)
Inscribed bronze figure of a Buddha from Fang District, part of a large SE Asian collection amassed by the Norwegian explorer Carl Bock, Thailand, (1540 AD)

Department of Africa, Oceania and the Americas

Africa

Oceania

Americas

Department of Coins and Medals


Department of Conservation and Scientific Research

Libraries and archives

British Museum Press

Controversy

Disputed items in the collection
Elgin Marbles – claimed by Greece and backed by UNESCO among others for restitution
Benin Bronzes – claimed by Nigeria, 30 pieces sold by the British Museum privately to the Nigerian government in the 1950s 
 Ethiopian Tabots – claimed by Ethiopia
 Four stolen drawings (Nazi plunder) – Compensation paid to Uri Peled for the amount of £175,000 by the British Museum
 Achaemenid empire gold and silver artefacts from the Oxus Treasure – claimed by Tajikistan
 Aboriginal human remains – returned to Tasmania by the British Museum
 Rosetta Stone – claimed by Egypt
 Some 24,000+ scrolls, manuscripts, paintings, scriptures, and relics from the Mogao Caves, including the Diamond Sutra – claimed by the People's Republic of China

Galleries
Building

Museum Galleries
Department of Ancient Egypt and Sudan

Department of the Middle East

Department of Greece and Rome

Digital and online
The museum has a collaboration with the Google Cultural Institute to bring the collection online.

Exhibitions
Forgotten Empire Exhibition (October 2005 – January 2006)

Notes

References

Further reading
Anderson, Robert (2005). The Great Court and the British Museum. London: The British Museum Press
Arrowsmith, Rupert Richard. Modernism and the Museum: Asian, African and Pacific Art and the London Avant Garde. Oxford University Press, 2011, pp. 103–164. .
Arrowsmith, Rupert Richard. "The Transcultural Roots of Modernism: Imagist Poetry, Japanese Visual Culture, and the Western Museum System", Modernism/modernity Volume 18, Number 1, January 2011, pp. 27–42. .
Caygill, Marjorie (2006). The British Museum: 250 Years. London: The British Museum Press
Caygill, Marjorie (2002). The Story of the British Museum. London: The British Museum Press
Cook, B. F. (2005). The Elgin Marbles. London: The British Museum Press
Esdaile, Arundell (1946) The British Museum Library: a Short History and Survey. London: Allen & Unwin
Jenkins, Ian (2006). Greek Architecture and its Sculpture in The British Museum. London: The British Museum Press
Francis, Frank, ed. (1971) Treasures of the British Museum. London: Thames & Hudson (rev. ed., 1975)
Moser, Stephanie (2006). Wondrous Curiosities: Ancient Egypt at The British Museum. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press
Reade, Julian (2004). Assyrian Sculpture. London: The British Museum Press
Reeve, John (2003). The British Museum: Visitor's Guide. London: The British Museum Press
Wilson, David M. (2002). The British Museum: a history. London: The British Museum Press

External links


 The British Museum from The Survey of London
 British Museum elevation