Do not make a mistake if we say that perhaps the most popular attraction in the UK is the British Museum in London. This is one of the largest treasures in the world. Surprisingly, it was created spontaneously (however, like many other museums in the country). It was based on three private collections.
The British Museum is located on an area of 6 hectares in buildings erected for more than a hundred years. They store exhibits of all the cultures of the world known today. The British Museum in London is one of the few European institutions of such a level that is interesting not only for its unique, rarest exhibits. The construction itself is an invaluable monument of history and culture.
His very venerable age (250 years) is directly related to the history of the country in which the natural sciences prospered. Perhaps that is why not a philanthropist and not an artist, but a naturalist scientist is the founder of the celebrated collection. It is about the royal life physician Sir Hans Sloan (1660-1753). Throughout his life, he managed to collect a colossal collection of ethnographic, natural-scientific and artistic exhibits of great value.
British Museum: exhibits
A distinctive feature of this museum is a huge variety of exhibits. Archaeological and ethnographic rarities coexist here with paintings, objects of the natural science, ancient manuscripts, books and sculptures.
From the history of the museum
The British National Museum began its history in 1753. It was then that a naturalist from Great Britain Hans Sloan bequeathed his unique collection of the nation. The opening of the museum was approved by a special act of the British Parliament. By 1759, when the Museum officially began its work, the collection was replenished with exhibits from the royal library.
Sculptures
These are the undisputed gems of the collection that the British Museum is proud of. These sculptures are called Parthenon marbles (or Elgin marbles). They got their name in honor of the count, who brought them back from Greece. Today, the museum is proud of the world's largest collection of Asian sculptures. The Department of Egyptian Antiquities has a collection of about 66 thousand copies, and the ancient Greek collection consists of a number of world-famous masterpieces: the statue of Demeter, the bust of Pericles, and others.
The names of their creators remain unknown, despite the uniqueness and scale of the works. There is a version that the statues and frieze of the Parthenon are the work of a famous sculptor from Greece (Phidias), who directed the construction of the Acropolis. More than once this country has attempted to return the Parthenon marbles. In turn, England is in no hurry to say goodbye to priceless treasures. Each side has its own opinion on this matter: the Greeks call the removal of priceless relics of theft, the British museum workers believe that this measure saved the sculptures from destruction.
Both sides are probably right in their own way. Earl Elgin very peculiarly accepted the government’s permission to export some exhibits from the country. By the time they were transferred to the British Museum, the Parthenon was in ruins for more than a century.
Rosetta stone
Without a doubt, this is one of the most famous exhibits owned by the British Museum. An artifact that was discovered at the end of the XVIII century. He allowed Jean Champollion (French Orientalist historian, linguist) to translate Egyptian hieroglyphs. Today this relic meets visitors in the Egyptian hall of the museum.
Mummy Catabeth
Three and a half thousand years is the age of the mummy of the priestess of Amun-Ra, whose name was Katabet. Her body is wrapped in cloth. The face is covered by a gilded mask, which depicts a portrait of the priestess. Interestingly, the sarcophagus was originally intended for men. Another feature of this mummy is that the woman’s brain, unlike all other organs, was not removed.
Hoa Haka Nana Eeyore
The British Museum collection has another pearl. This is a Polynesian sculpture brought from Easter Island. She is called Hoa-Haka-Nana-Ia. In Russian, this name is translated as "kidnapped (or hidden) friend." At first, the Moai idol was painted white and red, but over time, the paint faded, peeled and exposed the basalt tuff. This durable natural material was used in the manufacture of a monolithic sculpture.
Great Sphinx Beard
Thanks to the efforts of Giovanni Batista Cavilia, a native of Italy, the British Museum has in its collection an element of the beard of the Great Sphinx. The famous adventurer Cavilla decided to dig out the main attraction of Giza. Henry Salt (Ambassador of Great Britain) set the entrepreneurial Italian condition that he must transfer all the elements found to the British Museum. The remaining fragments of the beard that Cavilla left in the sand are today stored in the Egyptian Museum of Cairo.
British Museum Library
Its foundation was the collection of medieval Anglo-Saxon and Latin manuscripts compiled in 1753 by Sir Hans Sloan. The idea of creating a library was supported by George II. He donated the library of King Edward IV to the museum. Another 65 thousand copies appeared in the collection in 1823. It was a gift from King George III. In 1850, one of the most famous reading rooms in the world was opened in the museum building - Karl Marx, Lenin and other famous people worked in it.
Library in the 20th century
The most significant event in the history of the British Library occurred in the 20th century. In July 1973, four national book collections were merged. Later they were joined by the libraries of Scotland and Wales. In 1973, a library system was created. It is effective to this day - readers can get any book that is located in the UK.
In the same (XX) century, Buddhist manuscripts and the oldest printed books from Dunhuang appeared in the collection of the British Library. In 1933, the British Museum acquired in Russia for one hundred thousand pounds the Sinai Codex, an invaluable Christian relic that the Soviets considered unnecessary in an atheist society.
Library collection
Today it is the world's largest collection of books, manuscripts, manuscripts. The collection totals more than one hundred fifty thousand copies. Since 1983, the National Sound Archive has appeared in the Library. It stores notes and sound recordings, manuscripts of musical works - from Handel to the Beatles.
Paintings
The British Museum does not have the largest exposition of art. But if we talk about the qualitative component, then it is not inferior to the Paris Louvre or the St. Petersburg Hermitage. By the number of world-famous masterpieces, the British Museum has no equal. Among the most famous artists of the world, it is probably impossible to find someone whose paintings are not in the London collection.
