13.

The British Museum

Located in the Bloomsbury area of London, the British Museum is the location of a National
collection of science and art treasures. It first began in 1753 when Parliament purchased the
collection of Sir Hans Sloane, the Cabinet of Curiosities. First opened to the public in 1759 in
Montague House, it was later moved to its present location.
The British Museums mandate is : to illuminate the histories of cultures for the benefit of present
and future generations. The founding collections largely consisted of books, manuscripts and
natural specimens with some antiquities (including coins and medals, prints and drawings) and
ethnographic material.
The number of exhibits and galleries is vast. Ranging from Africa, Asia, the Americas, and Europe
to ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome and back to pre-historic times, they highlight more than just
Britain. The British collections trace the history of Britain and cover prehistoric times, roman
Britain, medieval and later Britain and graphic arts. The Stone Age collections include works of art
and jewellery dating from 35,000 to 10,000 years ago. Roman Britain is typified by early Christian
objects and collections of Roman coins. 4th to 20th-century European art and archaeology
collections illustrate cultures of the time and include Anglo-Saxon antiquities and medieval pottery.
British prints, drawings and watercolours of the 16th century to the present are amassed in a large
collection and include works by Constable and Turner. The Museum has more than 7,000 items in
its clock, watch and scientific instrument collection.
The Museum has the largest collection of Egyptian artefacts in the world outside of the Cairo
Museum. It includes mummies and coffins, jewellery, weapons, furniture and tools. The Rosetta
Stone is perhaps the most famous of all Egyptian artefacts. African collections encompass
sculpture, textiles, graphic arts and money. The Department of Oriental antiquities houses Asian
material reaching back 9000 years. Sculpture from India, Chinese porcelain, bronze and jade and
Islamic pottery and tiles are just a small part of the vast number of items on display.
The British Museum is often involved in events, research or a topic that becomes the subject of
public discussion. The question of where the surviving sculptures from the Parthenon should now
be displayed has long been a subject of public discussion. The Parthenon in Athens has a long and
complex history. Built nearly 2,500 years ago as a temple dedicated to the Greek goddess Athena, it
was for a thousand years the church of the Virgin Mary of the Athenians, then a mosque, and finally
an archaeological ruin. The building was altered and the sculptures much damaged over the course
of the centuries. The first major loss occurred around AD 500 when the Parthenon was converted
into a church. When the city was under siege by the Venetians in 1687, the Parthenon itself was
used as a gunpowder store. A huge explosion blew the roof off and destroyed a large portion of the
remaining sculptures. The building has been a ruin ever since. Archaeologists worldwide are agreed
that the surviving sculptures could never be re-attached to the structure.
By 1800 only about half of the original sculptural decoration remained. Between 1801 and 1805
Lord Elgin, the British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, of which Athens had been a part for
some 350 years, acting with the full knowledge and permission of the Ottoman authorities, removed
about half of the remaining sculptures from the fallen ruins and from the building itself. Lord Elgin
was passionate about ancient Greek art and transported the sculptures back to Britain. The arrival of
the sculptures in London had a profound effect on the European public, regenerating interest in
ancient Greek culture and influencing contemporary artistic trends. These sculptures were acquired
from Lord Elgin by the British Museum in 1816 following a Parliamentary Select Committee
enquiry which fully investigated and approved the legality of Lord Elgins actions. Since then the
sculptures have all been on display to the public in the British Museum, free of entry charge.
(adapted from www.britishmuseum.org)