At the British Museum, Ancient Egypt Comes AliveAt the British Museum, Ancient Egypt is alive and doing well in the Department of Ancient Egypt and Sudan. The British Museum is a museum of human history and cultures, and its Ancient Egypt and Sudan Department houses one of the largest and most comprehensive collections of antiquities in the world.
The museum houses relics and pieces from every aspect and era of Ancient Egypt; some 11,000 years of history are represented and the collection is in excess of 110,000 objects. The British Museum was the brainchild of Sir Hans Sloane, an eminent collector of curiosities and antiquities who wanted his large collection to stay together and be shared with the world after his death. He bequeathed it to King George in 1753, and Sloane’s collection was merged with several library collections to form the British Museum. From the beginning, the museum was a trailblazer; one of the very first museums to be both national and open to the public. The collection was at the time mainly focused on natural history, scientific interests, and antiquarian literature. Ancient Egypt and antiquities from that culture have formed an important part of the museum since the very beginning. Sir Hans Sloane had over 160 items from Ancient Egypt which were part of his original bequest to the museum. After British forces defeated Napoleon at the Battle of the Nile, the army confiscated a massive amount of antiquities, including the famed Rosetta Stone. These items were presented to the British Museum in 1803. Throughout the 19th century the museum increased their Egyptian holdings substantially, by purchasing many objects and by funding archaeological excavations in Egypt. In the 20th century, Egypt finally changed many of its policies regarding the export of its antiquities, making it impossible for the museum to continue to acquire objects in that way, but by that time the British Museum had one of the largest collections in the world. The British Museum Ancient Egypt and Sudan exhibit is the most popular and beloved of collections, attracting more than 6 million visitors annually.
Address: British Museum, Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury, WC1B 3DG Telephone: 020 7323 8299 Opening Times: 10am-5.30pm | Selected galleries are open late Thursday & Friday | Closed 1 January, Good Friday, 24, 25, 26 December. Pricing: FREE | Charges apply to major temporary exhibitions. Photo courtesy: Steve Parker
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