The British Museum, founded in 1753, is a treasure house of global artifacts, many of them the riches of Britain,,, imperial past. There are more than 6 million exhibits, including the Elgin Marbles, magnificent fifth century BC relief sculptures taken from the Parthenon in 1801 by Thomas Bruce, the Earl of Elgin, and still the subject of Greek demands for their return. Other highlights are the Rosetta Stone, key to the understanding of Egyptian hieroglyphics; the 2,000 year old Lindow Man, whose preserved body was found in an English peat bog; the Mildenhall Treasure, a collection of Roman silver; and Anglo Saxon artifacts from a ship burial. Don't miss the Egyptian Galleries, the finest collection outside Egypt itself The Great Court opened in 2000, increasing the museum's public space by 50 percent. A massive glass roof now spans the central courtyard, making it the largest covered square in Europe. The area houses galleries, an education center, Compass (a multimedia information database) and, at its heart, the stunning Reading Room.
|
