Highlights of the British Museum Collection

World-Class Artifacts at the British Museum

The British Museum houses ~8 million objects spanning human history. Iconic highlights:

• Rosetta Stone (196 BCE) – key to deciphering hieroglyphs.
• Sutton Hoo Ship Burial (7th c.) – Anglo-Saxon royal treasure.
• Lewis Chessmen (12th c.) – walrus ivory chess pieces.
• Parthenon Sculptures (Elgin Marbles) (5th c. BCE) – contested Greek masterpieces.
• Egyptian Mummies & Coffins – unparalleled funerary collection.
• Hoa Hakananai'a – Rapa Nui (Easter Island) basalt statue.
• Portland Vase (1st c. CE) – Roman cameo glass.
• Mildenhall Treasure (4th c. CE) – Roman silver tableware.
• Māori Taonga – carvings, waka (canoes), cloaks.
• Benin Bronzes (16th–18th c.) – Nigerian court art.

Free entry; vast galleries require multiple visits to appreciate fully.