- Date:
- 1753 - present
British Museum
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What is the British Museum?
The British Museum is a comprehensive national museum located in London with particularly outstanding collections in archaeology and ethnography. Established in 1753, it was based on collections from Sir Hans Sloane, Robert Harley, and Sir Robert Cotton and was opened to the public in 1759.
The museum's present building, designed in the Greek Revival style by Sir Robert Smirke, was built between 1823 and 1852 on the site of Montagu House. The British Museum's library was joined with other holdings to create the British Library in 1973, and its holdings were kept at the museum until a new library opened in 1997.
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Where is the British Museum located?
The British Museum is in Bloomsbury, a residential and academic area within the borough of Camden, London. The museum's original collection was expanded through purchases, gifts, war plunder, and colonial conquest. From 1823 to 1846, the Bloomsbury premises were rebuilt by Robert Smirke, who added a massive Ionic portico to the museum's south front. In 2000, the Queen Elizabeth II Great Court was opened to the public, enclosing the inner courtyard and the Reading Room with a glass roof.
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What kinds of collections can you find in the British Museum?
The British Museum's collections are particularly outstanding in archeology and ethnography. The museum was founded in 1753, based on the collections of Sir Hans Sloane, Robert Harley, and Sir Robert Cotton.
Famous holdings include the Elgin Marbles from the Parthenon in Athens, sculptures from the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus and the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, and the Rosetta Stone, which unlocked the understanding of ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs.
Other collections feature the Black Obelisk and Assyrian relics from Calah and Nineveh, gold, silver, and shell work from Ur, the Portland Vase, treasures from the Sutton Hoo ship burial, and Chinese ceramics. The museum also holds a collection of artifacts from Roman Britain, including sculpture, mosaics, and decorative arts.
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Why is the Rosetta Stone important in the British Museum's collection?
The Rosetta Stone is a significant artifact in the British Museum's collection because it unlocked the understanding of Egyptian hieroglyphs. Discovered in 1799 near Rosetta, Egypt, it features inscriptions in Greek, hieroglyphics, and demotic script. Its decipherment, primarily by Thomas Young and Jean-FranƧois Champollion, provided the key to translating Egyptian hieroglyphic writing. After the French surrender of Egypt in 1801, the Rosetta Stone came into British hands and has resided in the British Museum in London since.
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How does the British Museum help people learn about world history?
The British Museum helps people learn about world history through its extensive collections of artifacts and exhibits. It preserves and interprets material evidence of humankind, human activity, and the natural world.
The museum was founded in 1753 and opened to the public in 1759 with the intent to be used for the general benefit of the public. Some of its most famous holdings include the Rosetta Stone, Elgin Marbles, and treasures from Sutton Hoo. The British Museum offers free admission, allowing visitors to explore a wide range of historical items and learn about different cultures and civilizations.
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What are some debates or controversies connected to objects in the British Museum?
The British Museum faces significant debates and controversies, primarily concerning the repatriation of cultural artifacts.
The Elgin Marbles, also known as the Parthenon Sculptures, are a collection of ancient Greek sculptures and architectural details that were removed from the Parthenon in Athens and shipped to England by Lord Elgin. The Greek government has frequently demanded the return of the marbles, but the British Museum has not acceded, claiming that it has saved the marbles from certain damage and deterioration.
The Benin Bronzes are another example of disputed artifacts in the British Museum. Calls for the return of the Benin Bronzes began in the mid-1930s, and have continued as former colonies gained independence. Critics of the museum have argued that the real issue is the institutionās fear that a significant reduction in the size of its collection could occur if this case of restitution was successful, spurring additional claims on disputed artifacts in its possession.
The British Museum Act of 1963 prevents objects from being repatriated from the British Museum.
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British Museum, in London, comprehensive national museum with particularly outstanding holdings in archaeology and ethnography. It is located in the Bloomsbury district of the borough of Camden.
Established by act of Parliament in 1753, the museum was originally based on three collections: those of Sir Hans Sloane; Robert Harley, 1st earl of Oxford; and Sir Robert Cotton. The collections (which also included a significant number of manuscripts and other library materials) were housed in Montagu House, Great Russell Street, and were opened to the public in 1759. The museumās present building, designed in the Greek Revival style by Sir Robert Smirke, was built on the site of Montagu House in the period 1823ā52 and has been the subject of several subsequent additions and alterations. Its famous round Reading Room was built in the 1850s; beneath its copper dome laboured such scholars as Karl Marx, Virginia Woolf, Peter Kropotkin, and Thomas Carlyle. In 1881 the original natural history collections were transferred to a new building in South Kensington to form the Natural History Museum, and in 1973 the British Museumās library was joined by an act of Parliament with a number of other holdings to create the British Library. About half the national libraryās holdings were kept at the museum until a new library building was opened at St. Pancras in 1997.
After the books were removed, the interior of the Reading Room was repaired and restored to its original appearance. In addition, the Great Court (designed by Norman Foster), a glass-roofed structure surrounding the Reading Room, was built. The Great Court and the refurbished Reading Room opened to the public in 2000. Also restored in time for the 250th anniversary of the museumās establishment was the Kingās Library (1823ā27), the first section of the newly constituted British Museum to have been constructed. It now houses a permanent exhibition on the Age of Enlightenment.
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Among the British Museumās most famous holdings are the Elgin Marbles, which were removed in the early 19th century from the Parthenon in Athens and shipped to England by arrangement of Thomas Bruce, 7th Lord Elgin. The Greek government frequently demanded the return of the marbles, but the British Museumāclaiming among other reasons that it had saved the marbles from certain damage and deteriorationādid not accede, and the issue remained controversial. Other objects in the collection include Greek sculptures from the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus and from the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus; the Rosetta Stone, which provided the key to reading ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs; the Black Obelisk and other Assyrian relics from the palace and temples at Calah (modern NimrÅ«d) and Nineveh; exquisite gold, silver, and shell work from the ancient Mesopotamian city of Ur; the so-called Portland Vase, a 1st-century-ce cameo glass vessel found near Rome; treasure from the 7th-century-ce ship burial found at Sutton Hoo, Suffolk; and Chinese ceramics from the Ming and other dynasties.