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An ultra-wide rectilinear stitched panorama of the Great Court of the British Museum in London, United Kingdom.

Façade of the British Museum. This is a photo of listed building number 1130404.

The Great Court of the British Museum, with the new tessellated roof designed by Foster and Partners, arches around the original, circular Reading Room of the British Library. The sculpture on the pedestal in the right-hand foreground is a youth on horseback from 1st century AD Rome.

Street view of the British Museum World Conservation and Exhibitions Centre.

Aerial shot of the British Museum, London.

Śiva is depicted in the 'anandatandava' position as Lord of Dance (Śiva Natarāja), with the Ganga river flowing through his hair and Apasmara, the dwarfish demon of ignorance, under his right foot. The god is shown at the end of one cycle and the beginning of another. The arch is broken above the proper left shoulder of the figure. The sculpture is cast in a copper alloy, circa 1100, and was made in Tamil Nadu, India. The picture was taken at the British Museum, London, UK.

General view of Room 95, British Museum.

Part of the Waddesdon Bequest on display in the British Museum.

The British Museum is a public institution dedicated to human history, art, and culture. Located in the Bloomsbury area of London, it houses a vast collection of world art and artifacts.

Lamassu from the Throne Room, Room B, of the North-West Palace at Nimrud, Iraq, 9th century BC, now in the British Museum, London. A replica of one of the Balawat gates appears in the background.

The Rosetta Stone in the British Museum.

The Townley Caryatid is a 7.25-meter high Pentelic marble caryatid.

Photos taken in the Roman Gallery - British Museum. Discobolus of Myron. The Greek original circa 460-450 BC is lost. This Roman copy was discovered at the Villa Palombara.

British Museum - Room 85, Roman Portrait Sculpture.

The Tomb of Merehi. GR 1848.10-20.143 (Sculpture 951). In the British Museum.

Bowl from Hawaii decorated with pearl shell and sections of boars' tusks, used to serve the intoxicating drink ʻawa. It was presented to Captain Charles Clerke by a Hawaiian chief during Cook's third Pacific Voyage and donated to the British Museum in 1780.

Brass plaque commonly known as "bronze" from the Benin Kingdom (Nigeria), housed in the British Museum (London).

Photo of a gold llama figurine about 2 inches high.

The mask of Xiuhtecuhtli at the British Museum is an artifact that represents the Aztec god of fire, day, and heat. It is intricately crafted and displays vibrant colors and detailed artistry, reflecting the cultural and religious significance of the deity in Aztec society.

The double-headed serpent is a striking artifact displayed at the British Museum.

Photographed at the British Museum's exhibition Beyond El Dorado: Power and Gold in Ancient Colombia (17 October 2013 – 23 March 2014).

Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, gilded bronze. Nepal, 16th century CE. British Museum, London.

An assistant to the Judge of Hell, a figure from a judgment group, possibly the same as OA 1938.5-24.115, from the Ming dynasty. Possibly made in Shanxi.

Covered hanging jar with underglaze decoration from Si Satchanalai (Sawankalok), north-central Thailand, dated to the 14th-16th century CE. Donated by Angus Forsyth to the British Museum.

A crowned figure of the Bodhisattva Khasarpana Avalokiteśvara is seated on a lotus with attendant deities in a shrine with a cusped arch.

Goddess Ambika from Dhar in the British Museum.

Danesar Khera Buddha in the British Museum.

Eastern Zhou period, pair of ritual hu vessels. 5th century BC.

Cubical weights made of chert, standardized throughout the Indus cultural zone. From Mohenjo-daro, Mature Harappan Period (c. 2600-1900 BC). British Museum, 1939,0619.228-231, 233, 236, 239, 241.

Carillon Clock with Automata, by Isaac Habrecht - British Museum.

Photo of the front of the Holy Thorn Reliquary in the British Museum.

So-called Chaucer Astrolabe dated 1326, similar to the one Chaucer describes, British Museum.

Virgin and Child; Virgin crushing the Dragon under her left foot. Made in Paris, France.

Photo of the Sutton Hoo helmet from the front in 2015.

The Corbridge Lanx is a silver tray depicting a shrine to Apollo from the 4th century AD. It was found on the bank of the River Tyne at Corbridge, England, and is probably part of a hoard. It is housed in the British Museum.

Priestly crown and diadem found in Hockwold-cum-Wilton, Norfolk, England in 1956/57 on display at the British Museum.

Bronze head of a Roman emperor (Claudius or Nero), dating to the 1st century AD. Found at Rendham, Suffolk, England. British Museum.

Gold torc, 75 BC, found in the Needwood Forest, UK. On loan to the British Museum by Queen Elizabeth II of England.

The Wandsworth Shield, an Iron Age shield boss in La Tène style, is displayed in the British Museum, Room 50.

The Mold gold cape. Bronze Age, about 1900-1600 BC. From Mold, Flintshire, North Wales.

Olduvai handaxe, Lower Palaeolithic, about 1.2 million years old, Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania.

Cylindrical lidded box with an Arabic inscription recording its manufacture for the ruler of Mosul, Badr al-Din Lu'lu.

Art from Ancient Yemen, British Museum, London

Depiction of Jehu, King of Israel, giving tribute to King Shalmaneser III of Assyria on the Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III from Nimrud (circa 827 BC) in the British Museum, London.

Carved ivory depicting a woman at a window, Phoenician, 9th-8th century BC, from Nimrud, northern Iraq.

The 'Queen of the Night' Relief may represent an aspect of the goddess Ishtar, the Mesopotamian goddess of sexual love and war. Her bird-feet and accompanying owls have led some to suggest a connection with Lilitu (known as Lilith in Jewish lore), though not the typical demonic Lilitu. This artifact is from the Old Babylonian period, dating from 1800-1750 BC, and originates from southern Iraq. It is housed in the British Museum, London.

This lion-headed eagle (Imdugud or Anzu) is the Sumerian symbol of the God Ningirsu. In this panel, Anzu appears to grasp two deer simultaneously. The panel was found at the base of the temple of Goddess Ninhursag at Tell-Al-Ubaid. From southern Mesopotamia (Iraq), early dynastic period, circa 2500 BCE. ME 114308, British Museum, London.

Standard of Ur, 26th century BC, "War" panel.

Photograph taken by me on February 2, 2008.

Apollo kitharoidos (holding a lyre). Marble, Roman artwork from the 2nd century CE, influenced by Hellenistic statuary of the 2nd century BC. From the Temple of Apollo at Cyrene (modern Libya).

So-called "Lely's Venus": Aphrodite surprised as she bathes. Roman copy of the Imperial era after a Hellenistic original.

Gladiator Helmet Did anyone else read those Eyewitness History books when they were younger? I had a bunch, and I remember this very helmet from the book on gladiators. It's in the British Museum, along with a whole bunch of other stuff I recognize from those lavishly illustrated books.

This Hellenistic Greek bronze head, dating from the 1st century BC, was found at the ancient city of Satala, now modern Sadak in north-eastern Turkey. Discovered in about 1872 by a man digging in his field, the head sustained pick-axe damage but remains well-preserved, particularly the face. Originally, the eyes were inlaid with precious stones or glass paste, and the lips may have been coated with a copper veneer. The head eventually made its way through Constantinople and Italy to dealer Alessandro Castellani, who sold it to The British Museum. A bronze hand found nearby was presented to the Museum years later. The statue is thought to represent a nude Aphrodite, similar to the famous statue by Praxiteles, or possibly the Iranian goddess Anahita. The size of the head suggests it belonged to a cult statue, though no temple was found during excavations at Satala in 1874. The statue possibly dates to the reign of Tigranes the Great, king of Armenia, and its thin-walled bronze casting suggests a late Hellenistic date.

Colossal head of Asclepios wearing a metal crown (now lost), from a cult statue. Hellenistic artwork.

Column drum from the temple of Artemis at Ephesus. The subject is unidentified, possibly from left to right: Thanatos, Alkestis, Hermes, Persephone, and Hades (unseen), circa 320 BC.

Fragmentary horse from the colossal four-horses chariot group that topped the podium of the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, located in the British Museum.

Part of the Aegina treasure. This golden earring is one of a pair, with the other being File:Aegina treasure 02.jpg. The main body is a hoop formed from a double-headed snake. Inside are two slim animals, possibly greyhounds, positioned over two monkeys. Fourteen short chains hang from the central part, alternating between ending in golden discs and figures of owls. British Museum Catalogue Jewellery #763, the other earring is #764. Another pair of almost identical earrings exists, numbered #765 and #766. Description after Higgins: The Aegina Treasure, 1979.

One of a pair, the black siltstone obelisk of the Egyptian Pharaoh Nectanebo II, the last native ruler of ancient Egypt, dates to around 350 BCE. According to the vertical inscriptions, he set up this obelisk at the doorway of the sanctuary of Thoth, the Twice-Great, Lord of Hermopolis. It belongs to the 30th Dynasty and originates from modern-day Cairo, Egypt. It is now housed in The British Museum in London, gifted by His Majesty King George III in 1802 CE. Identifier: EA 523.

Green siltstone head of a king. British Museum, London.

The Book of the Dead of Hunefer, sheet 5.

A view of Château Gaillard, a medieval castle located in Normandy, France, overlooking the Seine River with a backdrop of lush, green landscape.

Statue of Ancient Egyptian Couple, Horemheb and Amenia, in the British Museum.

Colossal quartzite statue of Amenhotep III, c. 1350 BC at Great Court.

The granite sculptures of Sesostris III at the British Museum in London, UK.

British Museum

London, Great Britain

The British Museum stands as a grand showcase of the world's diverse cultures, housing thousands of artifacts from across the globe. While its collection is impressive, it has sparked debate due to the presence of many items acquired through less than ideal means. Visitors can explore entire sections dedicated to Egyptian, Greek, and Middle Eastern artifacts, with the Rosetta Stone serving as a centerpiece that ties these collections together.

Highlights of the Collection

Among the museum's most notable treasures is the largest collection of mummies outside of Egypt, offering a fascinating glimpse into ancient Egyptian burial practices. The Elgin Marbles, another famed exhibit, draw crowds eager to witness these classical Greek sculptures up close.

Art from Around the World

The British Museum also boasts exceptional collections of Chinese and Sub-Saharan African art. One of the most renowned African collections is the Benin bronzes, which showcase the craftsmanship of the Kingdom of Benin. These pieces, like many others in the museum, tell stories of cultural heritage and artistry.

Exhibitions and Shopping

In addition to its permanent displays, the museum regularly hosts temporary exhibitions. These exhibits are well-researched and offer detailed insights into various topics, although they can come with a higher price tag. For those looking to take home a piece of history, the museum's store offers a range of high-quality replicas of items from the collection.

Source - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Museum