British Museum
British Museum
Great Russell Street
London
Greater London
WC1B 3DG
England
Website
Information
Telephone
Information
+44 (0)20 7323 8000
Ticket Desk
+44 (0)20 7323 8181
Fax
+44 (0)20 7323 8480
A museum of the world, for the world.
The British Museum's collection spans over two million years of human history and culture, all under one roof. World-famous objects include the Rosetta Stone, the Parthenon sculptures, and Egyptian mummies.
Venue Type:
Museum
Collection details
Archaeology, Archives, Coins and Medals, Costume and Textiles, Decorative and Applied Art, Fine Art, Medicine, Music, Science and Technology, Social History, Weapons and War, World Cultures
Shunga: Sex and Pleasure in Japanese Art
- 3 October 2013 — 5 January 2014 *on now
Produced from 1600 to 1900 these explicit and beautifully detailed erotic paintings, prints and bookshave inspired Toulouse-Lautrec, Rodin and Picasso, manga, anime and Japanese tattoo art. The exhibition sheds light on the unique art form within Japanese social and cultural history.
Suitable for
Admission
£7, Members free
Beyond El Dorado: Power and Gold in Ancient Colombia
- 17 October 2013 — 23 March 2014 *on now
Organised with Museo del Oro, Bogota, this exhibition explores the rich and diverse cultures of Colombia before the arrival of the Spanish in the 16th Century. It features more than 250 astonishing objects made from gold and other precious metals.
Suitable for
Admission
£10. Members and under 16s free.
Wise men from
- 24 October 2013 — 27 April 2014 *on now
This small exhibition will explain Zoroastrianism, an ancient but living religion named after the Prophet Zarathustra, through objects and coins from Persia (Iran) and beyond.
The display will feature a variety of ancient and modern objects and coins, and will highlight the importance of Zoroastrian traditions in other religions. It will touch on the concept and imagery of the Three Kings of the Christian tradition, who are described in the New Testament (Matthew 2.2) as Magi from the east – Zoroastrian priests in the Persian tradition. Magnificent Islamic coins from Mughal India which follow the Iranian Zoroastrian calendar adopted by the emperor Akbar (1556–1605) will also be on display.
Modern objects will show the ongoing legacy of this ancient Iranian religion and its significance as a symbol of national identity for Zoroastrian and non-Zoroastrian Iranians in modern Persia and beyond.
Website
http://www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/exhibitions/wise_men_from_the_east.aspx
Perfect timing: the Mostyn Clock
- 21 November 2013 — 2 February 2014 *on now
This display will focus on the finest creation of London’s greatest clockmaker, Thomas Tompion.
This magnificent clock celebrates the coronation of William III and Mary II in 1689, and was kept in the royal bedchamber. It was made by a talented and industrious man who was in the right place at the right time. Thomas Tompion came from modest beginnings – he was the son of a village blacksmith – but he ended up making clocks and watches for royalty, and is buried in Westminster Abbey.
Website
http://www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/exhibitions/the_mostyn_tompion_clock.aspx
The Ruth and Joseph Bromberg bequest of works by Frank Auerbach
- 1 December 2013 — 8 January 2014 *on now
Ruth and Joseph Bromberg were a remarkable couple who amassed an enviable art collection, particularly of work by Frank Auerbach and Lucian Freud. Displayed here is a selection from over 80 works on paper by Frank Auerbach from the Bromberg bequest.
Ruth Bromberg was a distinguished print scholar who produced two catalogues on the prints of Canaletto and Sickert. Much of her research took place in the Study Room of the British Museum’s Department of Prints and Drawings.
Website
http://www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/exhibitions/works_by_frank_auerbach.aspx
Vikings: life and legend
- 6 March — 22 June 2014
Swords and axes, coins and jewellery, hoards, amulets and religious images show how Vikings created an international network connecting cultures over four continents.
At the centre of the exhibition will be the surviving timbers of a 37-metre-long Viking warship, the longest ever found.
Admission
Please book and check prices.
Website
http://www.britishmuseumshoponline.org/exhibition-tickets/vikings-life-and-legend/invt/mexviking
Digital workshop: Olympic champions!
- 21 December 2013 11:30am-3:30pm
- 15 February 2014 11:30am-3:30pm
Become an ancient Greek Olympian using a green screen and then use comic book software to decorate your portrait with ancient accessories.
Suitable for
- 7-10
- 11-13
- 14-15
- 16-17
Admission
Free, limited places
Website
Digital workshop: Ice Age animation workshop
- 22 December 2013 11am-4pm
Use stop-motion software and digital cameras to bring Ice Age animals to life through animation.
Suitable for
- Especially for children
Website
Digital workshop: Photography mystery trails
- 28 December 2013 11:30am-3:30pm
Follow exciting photography trails through the galleries, and then record your adventure using comic-making software.
A form of photo ID is required as deposit for this activity (please note that we cannot accept credit cards or passports as a deposit).
Suitable for
- Family friendly
- Especially for children
Admission
Free, just drop in
Website
Digital Workshop: El Dorado animation
- 4 January 2014 11:30am-3:30pm
Explore the stories behind El Dorado and then create a film based on these fantastic tales using animation software.
Suitable for
- Family friendly
- Especially for children
Admission
Free, limited places
Website
Digital Workshop: Digital dress up
- 5 January 2014 11:30am-3:30pm
Turn yourself into a samurai warrior, an ancient Greek or other characters using Photoshop and comic book software.
Dress yourself in weird and wonderful outfits from different cultures in time.
Suitable for
- Family friendly
- Especially for children
Admission
Free, limited places.
Website
Gallery talk: 17th-century European golden treasures
- 7 January 2014 1:15-2pm
A gallery talk by Hilary Williams, British Museum.
Admission
Room 46
Free, just drop in
Website
Gallery talk: Wise men from the east: Zoroastrian traditions in Persia and beyond
- 8 January 2014 1:15-2pm
A gallery talk by Vesta Curtis, British Museum.
Admission
Room 69a
Free, just drop in
Website
Gallery talk: Slowing down the damage: preventive conservation at the British Museum
- 9 January 2014 1:15-2pm
A gallery talk by Melanie Keable and Capucine Korenberg, British Museum.
Admission
Room 1
Free, just drop in
Website
Gallery talk: Iron Age religion
- 10 January 2014 1:15-2pm
A gallery talk by Jody Joy, British Museum.
Admission
Room 50
Free, just drop in
Website
Gallery talk: The legacy of Phoenician craftsmen
- 11 January 2014 1:15-2pm
A gallery talk by George Hart, independent speaker.
Admission
Room 57
Free, just drop in
Website
Digital Workshop: Magical mosaic masks
- 11 January 2014 11:30am-3:30pm
Use Photoshop to design your own mosaic mask inspired by the fearsome Aztec gods.
Suitable for
- Especially for children
- Family friendly
Website
Digital Workshop: Museum reporter
- 12 January 2014
Become a journalist for the day and follow clues around the galleries using mobile phones.
Suitable for
- Especially for children
- Family friendly
Website
Gallery talk: Introduction to Islamic art
- 14 January 2014 1:15-2pm
A gallery talk by Roberta Marin, British Museum.
Admission
Room 34
Free, just drop in
Website
Gallery talk: Beyond human: transformation and shamanism in North America
- 15 January 2014 1:15-2pm
A gallery talk by Max Carocci, independent speaker.
Admission
Room 26
Free, just drop in
Website
Gallery talk: Dangerous pastimes in the Bronze Age Aegean
- 16 January 2014 From 1:15pm
A gallery talk by Andrew Shapland, British Museum.
Admission
Room 12
Free, just drop in
Website
Lecture: Power and gold in ancient Colombia: curator's introduction
- 17 January 2014 1:30-2:15pm
Exhibition Curator Elisenda Vila Llonch gives a 45-minute illustrated introduction to the exhibition Beyond El Dorado: power and gold in ancient Colombia.
Admission
BP Lecture Theatre
Free, booking essential
Website
Gallery talk: Treasures from Korea
- 17 January 2014 1:15-2pm
A gallery talk by Sascha Priewe, British Museum.
Admission
Room 67
Free, just drop in
Website
Gallery talk: Glass making, cutting and trading in the Sasanian Empire
- 18 January 2014 From 1:15pm
A gallery talk by Anne Haworth, independent speaker.
Admission
Room 52
Free, just drop in
Website
Digital Workshop: Green screen time machine
- 18 January 2014 11:30am-3:30pm
Use a green screen and Photoshop to create a picture of yourself interacting with some of the Museum’s most fascinating objects.
Suitable for
- Family friendly
- Especially for children
Website
Digital Workshop: Reshuffling the deck: card game workshop
- 19 January 2014
Learn about card games from around the world, and work with a professional games designer to create your own personalised deck of cards to take home.
Suitable for
- Family friendly
- Especially for children
Admission
Free, booking advised
Website
Gallery talk: Kings and scholars: politics and science in the ancient Assyrian city of Nimrud
- 21 January 2014 1:15-2pm
A gallery talk by Eleanor Robson.
Admission
Room 6
Free, just drop in
Website
Gallery talk: Thomas Tompion: clockmaker extraordinaire
- 22 January 2014 1:15-2pm
A gallery talk by David Thompson, British Museum.
Admission
Room 39
Free, just drop in
Website
Gallery talk: The Roman Empire in the Citi Money Gallery
- 23 January 2014 1:15-2pm
A gallery talk by Edward Johnson, British Museum.
Admission
Room 68
Free, just drop in
Website
Lecture: Cities of the Levant: the past for the future?
- 23 January 2014 4-5pm
Philip Mansel, author of Levant: Splendour and Catastrophe on the Mediterranean, will speak about the cities of the Levant.
The lecture will focus particularly on Smyrna (modern Izmir), Alexandria and Beirut, which under the Ottoman Empire and its successors were inhabited by Muslims, Christians and Jews.
He asks how these cities functioned and explores their shared characteristics – diplomacy, trade, hybridity, pleasure, modernity and vulnerability – and what message the cities might have for today's mixed cities such as London, Paris and Dubai.
Organised by the British Museum, Palestine Exploration Fund, Council for British Research in the Levant and the British Foundation for the Study of Arabia.
Admission
Stevenson Lecture Theatre
Free, just drop in
Gallery talk: The sculptures of the Parthenon
- 24 January 2014 1:15-2pm
A gallery talk by Susan Woodford, independent speaker.
Admission
Room 18
Free, just drop in
Website
Lecture: Lost kingdoms of South America
- 24 January 2014 6:30-7:30pm
Jago Cooper, British Museum curator and presenter of the BBC TV series Lost Kingdoms of South America, discusses his experiences in tracing the story of the indigenous peoples of South America.
This lecture will share his conclusions about why these lost kingdoms are important to our understanding of both the past and future of the continent.
This event will have live speech-to-text transcription for deaf and hard of hearing people.
Admission
BP Lecture Theatre
Tickets £5
Members £3
Website
Gallery talk: Daily life in medieval Egypt
- 25 January 2014 1:15-2pm
A gallery talk by Carolyn Perry, British Museum.
Admission
Room 34
Free, just drop in
Website
Digital Workshop: Medieval animation workshop
- 26 January 2014
Use stop-motion software and digital video cameras to create animations based on weird and wonderful mythical medieval creatures.
Admission
Free, booking advised
Website
Gallery talk: A metallurgical tour of the ancient world
- 28 January 2014 1:15-2pm
A gallery talk by Paul Craddock, British Museum.
Admission
Room 69
Free, just drop in
Website
Gallery talk: Commerce and international exchange in western Europe during the High Middle Ages
- 29 January 2014 1:15-2pm
A gallery talk by Eljas Oksasen, British Museum.
Website
Gallery talk: Central Asia: caravans of the Silk Road
- 30 January 2014 1:15-2pm
A gallery talk by Diana Driscoll, independent speaker.
Admission
Room 33
Free, just drop in
Website
Gallery talk: Highlights of the Percival David Collection of Chinese ceramics
- 31 January 2014 1:15-2pm
A gallery talk by Yu-ping Luk, British Museum.
Admission
Room 95
Free, just drop in
Website
Lecture: The discovery of Colombia’s pre-Hispanic past
- 31 January 2014 6:30-7:30pm
Warwick Bray, Emeritus Professor of Latin American Archaeology, University College London, tells the story of the uncovering of Colombia’s past from the colonial period to the present.
The lecture draws on his personal experiences during 50 years of research on Colombian archaeology.
Admission
BP Lecture Theatre
Tickets £5
Members/Concessions £3
Website
Gallery talk: Russian revolutionary plates of the 1920s
- 1 February 2014 1:15-2pm
A gallery talk by Margaret O'Brien, independent speaker.
Admission
Room 48
Free, just drop in
Website
Gallery talk: Interpreting the Middle Ages
- 4 February 2014 1:15-2pm
A gallery talk by Georgina Ashcroft and Naomi Speakman, British Museum.
Admission
Room 40
Free, just drop in
Website
Gallery talk: Johann Joachim Winckelmann: art and death in Enlightenment Europe
- 5 February 2014 1:15-2pm
A gallery talk by Ian Jenkins, British Museum, and Katherine Harloe, University of Reading.
Admission
Room 1
Free, just drop in
Website
Gallery talk: Technology and aesthetics in native North America
- 6 February 2014 1:15-2pm
A gallery talk by Max Carocci, British Museum.
Admission
Room 26
Free, just drop in
Website
London Review of Books winter lectures: On Not Going Home
- 7 February 2014 6:30-7:30pm
James Wood, Professor of the Practice of Literary Criticism at Harvard, explores the estrangement of voluntary emigration – the sense of losing the country you leave and failing to find another.
Wood's books include four collections of critical essays, of which the latest is The Fun Stuff, and the novel The Book against God.
Admission
BP Lecture Theatre
Tickets £10
Members/Concessions £8
Website
Lecture: Power and gold in ancient Colombia: curator's introduction
- 7 February 2014 1:30-2:15pm
Project Curator Leonora Duncan gives a 45-minute illustrated introduction to the exhibition Beyond El Dorado: power and gold in ancient Colombia.
Admission
BP Lecture Theatre
Free, booking essential
Website
Gallery talk: Scientific insight into Chinese methods of jade carving
- 7 February 2014 1:15-2pm
A gallery talk by Margaret Sax, British Museum.
Admission
Room 33
Free, just drop in
Website
Gallery talk: Emperors in Egypt: Augustus, Hadrian and Septimius Severus
- 8 February 2014 1:15-2pm
A gallery talk by George Hart, independent speaker.
Admission
Room 70
Free, just drop in
Website
Digital Workshop: El Dorado animation
- 8 February 2014 11:30am-3:30pm
Explore the stories behind El Dorado and then create a film based on these fantastic tales using animation software.
Suitable for
- Family friendly
- Especially for children
Admission
Free, but limited places.
Website
Gallery talk: All that glisters is not gold': ascribing value in ancient Britain
- 11 February 2014 1:15-2pm
A gallery talk by Katharine Hoare, British Museum.
Admission
Room 51
Free, just drop in
Website
Gallery talk: Ancient and modern: Greek textiles and their meaning
- 12 February 2014 1:14-2pm
A gallery talk by Ian Jenkins, British Museum, and Natasha Lemos, The Hellenic Centre.
Admission
Room 18
Free, just drop in
Website
Gallery talk: Treasures from China (in Chinese)
- 13 February 2014 1:15-2pm
A gallery talk by Mei Xin Wang, British Museum.
Admission
Room 33
Free, just drop in
Website
London Review of Books winter lectures
- 14 February 2014 6:30-7:30pm
Mary Beard, Newnham College, Cambridge, reflects on the ways women have been heard in public, from Homer’s Odyssey to Margaret Thatcher to internet trolls.
Beard's books include The Parthenon, The Colosseum and Pompeii, which won the Wolfson History Prize.
Admission
BP Lecture Theatre
Tickets £10
Members/Concessions £8
Website
Lecture: World Conservation and Exhibitions Centre: artist in residence
- 14 February 2014 1:30-2:30pm
Liam O’Connor has been the artist in residence for the British Museum’s World Conservation and Exhibitions Centre project since 2010.
In this talk, Liam will discuss his experience of working within such an extraordinary construction site accompanied by representatives from the British Museum, construction manager Mace and architects Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners.
Admission
BP Lecture Theatre
Free, booking essential
Website
Gallery talk: The rise and fall of the pound
- 14 February 2014 1:15-2pm
A gallery talk by Tom Hockenhull, British Museum.
Admission
Room 68
Free, just drop in
Website
Gallery talk: Gold in ancient Mexico
- 15 February 2014 1:15-2pm
A gallery talk by Elizabeth Baquedano, independent speaker.
Admission
Room 27
Free, just drop in
Website
Digital Workshop: Shadow puppet workshop
- 16 February 2014
Learn about the ancient tradition of shadow-puppetry in Java and then decorate your own beautiful puppets.
Use voice recording software and video cameras to then bring your characters to life through film.
Suitable for
- Especially for children
- Family friendly
Admission
Free, booking advised
Website
Half-term activity: Ganesha and other elephants
- 17 — 21 February 2014
Discover elephants across the Museum, including Ganesha, the elephant-headed god, in a week of family activities.
You will be able to hear stories about elephants from different cultures, make a part of a large artwork, create something to take home or follow the Trunk Road, the specially designed elephant trail.
Suitable for
- Especially for children
- Family friendly
Website
Gallery talk: Goethe, Hamilton and Neoclassicism
- 18 February 2014 1:15-2pm
A gallery talk by Hilary Williams, British Museum.
Admission
Room 1
Free, just drop in
Website
Gallery talk: Looking at ancient Egyptian basketry: technology, continuity, conservation
- 19 February 2014 1:15-2pm
A gallery talk by Barbara Wills, British Museum.
Admission
Room 64
Free, just drop in
Website
Gallery talk: An Egyptian royal estate in the Jordan valley: Tell es-Sa’idiyeh in the Late Bronze Age
- 20 February — 1 March 2014
A gallery talk by Rupert Chapman, British Museum.
Admission
Room 57
Free, just drop in
Website
London Review of Books winter lectures
- 21 February 2014 6:30-7:30pm
What does it take to invent a new life for yourself? Andrew O’Hagan, Professor of Writing at King’s College London, sheds his identity and sees how far he can go.
O'Hagan is the author of four novels and The Illuminations will be published in the spring.
Admission
BP Lecture Theatre
Tickets £10
Members/Concessions £8
Website
Gallery talk: Criminal skill: the counterfeiter's craft in the 18th century
- 21 February 2014 1:15-2pm
A gallery talk by Robert Rock, British Museum.
Admission
Room 68
Free, just drop in
Website
Workshop: Alpha to omega: ancient Greek from scratch
- 22 February 2014 10am-4pm
In these workshops for adults, Peter Jones, Director of the Reading Greek series, author of Learn Ancient Greek, co-founder of Friends of Classics and columnist for The Spectator, will introduce beginners to the basics of ancient Greek.
Including alphabet, vocabulary, some real Greek and Greek stems in English.
All materials supplied.
Admission
Stevenson Lecture Theatre
Tickets £15
Members/Concessions £12
Website
Digital Workshop: Make a secret code
- 22 February 2014 11:30am-3:30pm
Learn about beautiful seal stones from China and create your own digital seal using Photoshop.
Then use mobile technology to turn it into a mind-boggling secret code – brilliant to make and hard to crack.
Suitable for
- Family friendly
- Especially for children
Admission
Free, limited places.
Website
Gallery talk: Chinese ceramic figures of deities and immortals
- 22 February 2014 1:15-2pm
A gallery talk by Anne Haworth, independent speaker.
Admission
Room 33
Free, just drop in
Website
Gallery talk: Coinage in Roman Britain
- 25 February 2014 1:15-2pm
A gallery talk by Emma Morris, British Museum.
Admission
Room 49
Free, just drop in
Website
Gallery talk: Trade in ancient Cyprus
- 26 February 2014 1:15-2pm
A gallery talk by Thomas Kiely, British Museum.
Admission
Room 72
Free, just drop in
Website
Gallery talk: ART/artefacts in East Africa (Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda)
- 27 February 2014 1:15-2pm
A gallery talk by Elsbeth Court, School of Oriental and African Studies.
Admission
Room 25
Free, just drop in
Website
The Annual Denys Haynes Memorial Lecture: The art of ancient Greek theatre
- 28 February 2014 6:30-7:30pm
Theatre was born in Greece in the mid-6th century BC, with choral dances held in honour of the god Dionysos. These performances became a vital part of urban life, with plays being staged in competition at the god’s annual festivals.
Through depictions of actors, sets and performances, this lecture explores the emergence of theatre as we know it from evidence on vase-paintings and in sculpture between the 5th and 1st centuries BC.
The lecturer, Dr Mary Louise Hart, is Associate Curator of Antiquities at the J Paul Getty Museum, California, and curated the exhibition of the same name at The Getty Villa in Malibu in 2010.
Admission
BP Lecture Theatre
Free, booking essential
Website
Lecture: Celebrating Ganesha: curator's introduction
- 28 February 2014 6:30-7:30pm
Visiting curator Manisha Nene gives a 45-minute illustrated introduction to the display From temple to home: celebrating Ganesha.
Manisha, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya Museum, Mumbai, recalls her journey from participant on the British Museum’s International Training Programme to curating this display and explains the enduring importance of its subject, the elephant-headed god Ganesha.
Admission
Stevenson Lecture Theatre
Tickets £5
Members/Concessions £3
Website
Gallery talk: Treasures of Mughal India: jade and jewels
- 28 February 2014 1:15-2pm
A gallery talk by Diana Driscoll, independent speaker.
Admission
Room 34
Free, just drop in
Website
The Edward W Said London Lecture: Is there a language of peace?
- 28 March 2014 7-8pm
Is there a language of peace? That is the question Palestinian lawyer, award-winning writer and political activist Raja Shehadeh asks in this year's lecture in memory of Edward Said.
He will reflect on the categories and modes of representation – legal and cultural – that confine today's Palestinians and the steps that need to be taken to move from the language of suffering and oppression to a new one of liberation and peace.
A Q&A session will follow the lecture.
This series is supported by the A M Qattan Foundation and London Review of Books.
Admission
BP Lecture Theatre
Tickets £12
Members/Concessions £8
Booking via The Mosaic Rooms or 020 7370 9990
Ancient Egypt
British Museum Webquests
http://nmolp.britishmuseum.org/webquests/
Webquests are online activities for children, using the collections of nine national museums and galleries.
Mesopotamia
The Games at Olympia
The Underworld
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