"This is the golden hoard of nearly three centuries of British Empire, the booty brought from Britain's far flung colonies." So what that really means is, this is the stuff they stole while they passed through country to country looting, destroying and conquering.
Here's just a few pics from our visit:
An incredible ceiling design, by architects Foster and Partners, incorporating the facades of old and new buildings with a previous courtyard. Now the largest covered public square in Europe. Read about it here... amazing design challenge!
"you give me gum gum or you better run run..." :) Moai statues - from Easter Island
Statue of Ramesses II (ca. 1270 BC) - pounding it out
the Rosetta Stone - Found in 1799 and carved in 196 BC by the decree of Ptolemy V. It is written in Egyptian hieroglyphics, Demotic script and Ancient Greek. Because the same text appears in three different langues, it was the key to being able to translate Egyptian hieroglyphics.
The Elgin Marbles - a collection of classical Greek marble sculptures, inscriptions and architectural members that originally were part of the Parthenon and other buildings on the Acropolis. One of the main features for British Museum but also a topic of heated debate between the British and the Greek.
The sculptures were taken from Athens to England in 1806 by Thomas Bruce, 7th earl of Elgin and were eventually sold to the British government in 1816 and are now on view in here. Since then, the Greek government has demanded the return of the marbles. Although British claims are based on Elgin’s purchase of the sculptures, Greece has contested this, and claimed looting among many other crimes.
A little ice cream to finish the day!
Jenn
