The British Museum: Centuries of History and Culture By Cecilia Ibru

IntroductionClose to six million people visit the British

Museum in London every year. Established in 1753, the British Museum was the world’s very first national museum to open to the general public. Its vast collections comprise more than eight million objects originating in cultures all over the world. From Stone Age artifacts used by early men and women to contemporary art prints, the British Museum’s treasures tell the artistic and cultural story of human beings on earth. And today, as in the beginning, the museum is open to everyone, free of any admission charge.

About Sir Hans SloaneSir Hans Sloane, an 18th-century British

naturalist and physician, was a renowned collector. He bequeathed the more than 70,000 manuscripts, books, and scientific specimens he acquired over his lifetime to the British crown as a gift to the people. An Act of Parliament established the British Museum after his death. Except in periods during the two World Wars, the museum has kept its doors open ever since it first welcomed the public in Bloomsbury in 1759.

ConclusionOver the years, the museum’s collections

have expanded to incorporate the Rosetta Stone, sculpted figures from the Parthenon, art and objects from the medieval period and from Asia, and numerous other special acquisitions. Today, the museum continues to expand its facilities and offerings. Recent exhibits have included a display of golden objects from ancient South America, a focus on artifacts from the Sutton Hoo ship burial, and an unfolding of items significant to the wisdom traditions of ancient Persia.