British Museum. Colossal bust of Ramesses II, the 'Younger Memnon' From the Ramesseum, Thebes, Egypt, 19th Dynasty, about 1250 BC <div class="immFx"> </div> Listen to an audio description written especially for blind and partially sighted visitors Or you can download the mp3 2 minutes, 23 seconds Close audio One of the largest pieces of Egyptian sculpture in the British Museum, this statue shows Ramesses II, who succeeded his father Sethos I in around 1279 BC and ruled Egypt for 67 years.
Weighing 7.25 tons, this fragment of his statue was cut from a single block of two-coloured granite. The sculptor has used a slight variation of normal conventions to relate his work to the viewer, angling the eyes down slightly, so that the statue relates more to those looking at it. It was retrieved from the mortuary temple of Ramesses at Thebes (the 'Ramesseum') by Giovanni Belzoni in 1816.
The imminent arrival of the head in England in 1818 inspired the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley to write Ozymandias: ... Ramesses II, King of Egypt Ancient Egypt. Chinese Jade. 'Soft, smooth and glossy, it appeared to them like benevolence; fine, compact and strong - like intelligence'Attributed to Confucius (about 551-479 BC) Jade has always been the material most highly prized by the Chinese, above silver and gold. From ancient times, this extremely tough translucent stone has been worked into ornaments, ceremonial weapons and ritual objects.
Recent archaeological finds in many parts of China have revealed not only the antiquity of the skill of jade carving, but also the extraordinary levels of development it achieved at a very early date. Jade was worn by kings and nobles and after death placed with them in the tomb. This tour illustrates examples showing the development of Chinese jade from around 5000 BC to the modern period. The Rosetta Stone. Egypt, Ptolemaic Period, 196 BC <div class="immFx"> </div> Listen to an audio description written especially for blind and partially sighted visitors Or you can download the mp3 2 minutes, 23 seconds Close audio A valuable key to the decipherment of hieroglyphs, the inscription on the Rosetta Stone is a decree passed by a council of priests. It is one of a series that affirm the royal cult of the 13-year-old Ptolemy V on the first anniversary of his coronation.
In previous years the family of the Ptolemies had lost control of certain parts of the country. It had taken their armies some time to put down opposition in the Delta, and parts of southern Upper Egypt, particularly Thebes, were not yet back under the government's control. Before the Ptolemaic era (that is before about 332 BC), decrees in hieroglyphs such as this were usually set up by the king.
The Rosetta Stone has been exhibited in the British Museum since 1802, with only one break. Read this text in arabic (pdf 56kb) Royal Museums Greenwich: sea, ships, time and the stars. National Maritime Museum. 'The Empress's wish or Boney Puzzled!!' (caricature) - National Maritime Museum. Royal Museums Greenwich: sea, ships, time and the stars. V&A Museum of Childhood.
Creativity Gallery. The Museum is arranged into four main galleries – the Moving Toys Gallery, the Creativity Gallery, the Childhood Galleries and the Front Room Gallery. Download a map of the Museum (773KB .pdf) Moving Toys Gallery The Museum's Moving Toys Gallery is divided into four sections – Pushes and Pulls, Springs and Cogs, Circuits and Motors and Look See. Find out more Creativity Gallery The Museum's Creativity Gallery is divided into four sections – Imagine, Be Inspired, Explore and Make it Happen. Find out more Childhood Galleries The Childhood Galleries are arranged into the following themes: Babies, Home, What We Wear, Who Will I Be? Find out more Front Room Gallery The Front Room showcases the Museum's community projects, which involve established and emerging artists working with community groups.
Find out more. Childhood Galleries. Front Room Gallery. Natural History Museum. Central Hall. Images of Nature. Cocoon. Your Cocoon experience begins on the 7th floor of the building, which you reach by glass lift. Admire the breathtaking views here and the beautiful displays. Inside Cocoon, wind your way down the gently sloping curved walkways past incredible specimens and exciting activities.Your journey takes you down 2 floors on several levels and you exit on the 5th floor.
Meet our science guides Atmospheric wall displays Start your tour with the help of our Museum science guides who greet you on wall projections and video. Huge displays and installations Discover 100s of real specimens from huge tarantulas to metre-high plants. Activities and adventures Take part in lots of hands-on interactive activities as you explore science and nature. Our historical heart Rare herbarium book At the core of Cocoon are the Museum’s vital plant and insect collections that go back 400 years to the Museum's origins.
Scientists in action Pick up a card Pick up a NaturePlus card.