British Museum Tour: Crash Course
- British Museum tour in small-group format
- Led by an expert trained in history or archaeology
- British Museum
We generally start with a thorough overview of how the British Museum came into existence in the mid-eighteenth century, beginning with the Enlightenment Gallery, formerly known as the King’s Library, the first part of the new museum building. Here we will discuss how the discipline of archaeology evolved from the work of antiquaries and also look at how art history was born here with the study of ancient Greek sculpture and vase painting.
Next we’ll traverse the halls of the museum, visiting its most important rooms. This includes the Egyptian collection, where we’ll explore how ancient texts came to be deciphered in the first place and compare the ways in which hieroglyphs and cuneiform, the two earliest scripts, were cracked. We will also spend some time exploring the Rosetta Stone, and some of the nearly 130,000 pieces of cuneiform tablets from ancient Iraq that are on display. Depending on our interests or our guide’s specialty, we may also focus on the art of ancient Iran and/or ancient Iraq, or delve into the Parthenon Marbles. At the end of our time together we will emerge with a better understanding of this major institution and its key role in intellectual life worldwide, leaving us with a sense of wonder and appreciation.
FAQ
Where does the tour start? Where does it end?
After a very happy time leading walks for Context in Rome, Caroline returned to her native London to complete a Ph.D at King's College London which conisdered the acquisition of Roman antiquities - and primarily Latin inscriptions - by the Grand Tourists of the 18th century. The project was closely connected with the British Museum, which is also conveniently one of her favourite London destinations. When not leading walks for Context, Caroline can usually be found in the British Library, teaching Undergraduate courses in the Classics department at KCL, or in one of London's many lovely parks with her dog.
Lawrence travelled and excavated extensively in Israel, Jordan and Egypt before attending the University of Durham where he studied archaeology. He specialised in ancient human remains during his Masters' at Liverpool University Medical School, followed by a year of travel and excavation in the UK and Africa. He won a scholarship to attend University College London, where he wrote his Doctorate on ancient populations of the Western Mediterranean basin and the Canary Islands. He currently lectures at Birkbeck College, University of London. He carries out research at London's Natural History Museum and spends several months each year working on a major archaeological project in Peru. He is also connected with excavations in Egypt, Bolivia, California, Sierra Leone, Ghana, and Spain, where he works with a forensic unit recovering the fallen from the 1936-1939 Spanish Civil War. In addition to his research, he has interests in the classical world, ancient Assyria, geology, palaeontology, twentieth century art history and the history of London.
Kevin Childs has worked as a publisher, an actor and a research consultant. Having gained a first class degree in English Literature at Oxford and an MA at the Courtauld Institute of Art in London, he has completed a PhD at the Courtauld examining the ways in which Michelangelo influenced the art of his contemporaries. Although his heart is in the Renaissance, his interests range from Greek and Roman classical literature to the art of twentieth-century Mexico. Kevin has lived in London for over 20 years and has a great passion for the city, its history and all that it currently offers. He has also spent extended periods of time in Italy, Greece, Turkey, Mexico, Egypt and Morocco. He writes regularly on art and travel.
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