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Description
The British Museum, which also houses the British Library, is one of London's greatest tourist attractions. The Museum itself has one of the finest collections in the world covering the art and antiquities of Assyria, Babylonia, Egypt, Greece, the Roman Empire, Southern and Southeast Asia, China and the European medieval period. The Library has additional exhibition rooms. The private collections of Sir Robert Cotton (d. 1631), Robert Harley, Earl of Oxford (d. 1724) and Sir Hans Sloane (d. 1753) formed the basis of the Museum. Founded by an Act of Parliament in 1753, the Museum was accommodated from 1759 in Montague House before moving to its present Neo-classical building, erected between 1823 and 1857. This was designed by Robert Smirke and completed by his brother Sydney, who was responsible for the circular Reading Room and the dome. The main facade is 123m/403ft long and has a colonnade of 44 Ionic columns. On the north side is the King Edward VII Building, erected in 1907 to 1914. Parts of the museum are now housed in separate buildings, including the Museum of Mankind and the National History Museum.

The museum is one of Great Britain's most notable neo-Classical buildings.
Hobbies & Activities category: Architecture - Roman, Greek, classical;  Major world-scale museum
Attractions within British Museum

Ancient Egypt

Of particular interest are the colossal bust of Rameses II from Thebes-West and the Rosetta Stone.

Although the main treasures of the Rosetta Stone and the Lions of Amenophis are displayed on the
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Mummies

Of the many Egyptian antiquities on display in the Museum, the collection of mummies and sarcophagi in rooms 60 and 61 and the papyri of room 62, including the famous Books of the Dead, are noteworthy.

Rosetta Stone

The Rosetta Stone, found in 1798 at Rosetta in the Nile Delta, is a slab of black basalt dating from 195 B.C. bears a trilingual inscription (in Egyptian hieroglyphic, demotic script and Greek
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Ancient Greece and Rome

This is the largest section of the British Museum, housing a wide variety of artifacts from ancient Greece and Rome. Of particular note are such treasures as the "Chatsworth" Head of Apollo, the
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Basement

In the basement (reached through Rooms 12, 16 and 17 of the ground floor) are examples of Assyrian, Greek and Roman art.

Caryatid

Objects found in Athens, including a Caryatid from the Erechtheion of the Acropolis.

Room 9

Elgin Marbles

Room 8 of the British Museum contains the famous "Elgin Marbles", sculptures from the Parthenon in Athens, brought to London by the Earl of Elgin at the beginning of the 19th century and include
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Mausoleum Room

The central exhibit displays finds from the Halikarnassos Mausoleum and the Temple of Artemis in Ephesos.

Portland Vase

The Portland Vase, named after the Dukes of Portland, dates from the first century B.C. and is one of the most exquisite examples of Roman artistry with glass.

Room 70

Tanagra figurines

Room 68 in the British Museum, devoted to terracottas, is dominated by the Head of Aphrodite. The head, found in Satala, Armenia, is double life-size and probably dates from the fourth century B.C.

Assyrian treasures

These rooms are devoted to unique treasures of the Assyrian period. Room 17 houses reliefs depicting a lion hunt from the reign of Assurbanipal. Further reliefs from the Nimrud and Nineveh palaces
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British Library

A Parliamentary vote in 1972 created the British Library, an amalgamation of the British Museum Library with other major libraries. Since 1757 the British Museum Library has been a library of
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Beatles Collection

A collection of original Beatles manuscripts, including the song "Yesterday", is quite popular.

Horological Room

A Ship's Clock forms the centerpiece for this collection of clocks and timepieces.

Magna Carta

Room 30 displays many historical, literary, scientific and music manuscripts. Of these the most outstanding exhibits are two of the four original manuscripts of Magna Carta (1215).

Maps collection

The broad variety of antique maps to be found at the library is of interest to the lovers of maps and cartography.

Stamp collection

The stamp collection at the British Library is outstanding.

Oriental collection

A wide variety of Oriental and Asiatic artifacts, mainly metalwork, enamelwork, porcelain and glassware, are found among this collection.

Of particular note are such artifacts as the Sambas
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Medieval Europe

Among the various treasures and artifacts that are displayed in this section are such unique treasures as The Royal Gold Cup, the Thorn Reliquary, the Lyte Jewel and the Huguenot silver.

Lewis Chessmen

The 12th century chess pieces carved from walrus tusks are of particular interest. They originate from the island of Lewis in the Hebrides.

Room 42

Prehistoric

Within this section of the museum, exhibits on prehistoric societies in continental Europe and early Britain contain a variety of artifacts that would have been used in day-to-day activities.

Mildenhall Treasure

The Mildenhall Treasure, a hoard of Roman silver tableware dating from the fourth century A.D., was found by a farmer while ploughing in Mildenhall, Suffolk, in 1942. Of the 34 pieces, the most
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Sutton Hoo Collection

This room contains exhibits from the Sutton Hoo Treasure: weapons, jewellery and coins dating from the seventh century, found in the grave of an Anglo-Saxon King in Sutton Hoo, Suffolk.

Room 41
Do-It-Yourself Tours
Address
British Museum
Great Russell Street
Bloomsbury
London WC1B 3DG
United Kingdom
Hours
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
Open10:0010:0010:0010:0010:0010:0010:00
Closed17:3017:3017:3020:3020:3017:3017:30
Always closed on:
New Year's Day (January 1)
Christmas - Christian (December 25)
Christmas Eve - Christian (December 24)
Day after Christmas, St Stephen's Day, Boxing Day (December 26)
Cost
FREE
Tips
A leaflet is available with access information for visitors with disabilities.
Information on guided tours is available in the main hall.
Disabled
Partial facilities for persons with disabilities.
Guides
Guided tour available as optional extra.
Facilities
Gift shop
Restaurant or food service
Transit
Underground: Russell Square, Holborn, Tottenham Court Road; bus: Tottenham Court Road, northbound, and Gower Street, southbound: 10, 24, 29, 73, 134; Southampton Row: 68, 91, 188; New Oxford Street: 7, 8, 19, 22b, 25, 38, 55, 98.
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