British Museum shop online

Two hoards and one unknown Viking ruler Ian Richardson, Portable Antiquities and Treasure, British Museum The saying goes that one waits an eternity for a London bus to arrive, only for two to eventually show up at the same time. Dot Boughton, Finds Liaison Officer (FLO) for Lancashire and Cumbria, is probably beginning to feel that the same rule applies to Viking silver hoards. It was only in April of this year that a hoard of over 90 coins and hacksilver from Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria was reported to Dot. For any FLO, and indeed for the British Museum, which provides expert advice to enable the coroner to hold an inquest into the case (as required under the Treasure Act 1996), this represented a lot of material to work on.

Visit us Entry is free (There is a charge for some temporary exhibitions) Opening times Tate Modern Entry details Entry to the collection remains free for everyone. Advance booking is recommended but tickets are often available on the door. Museos de la Región de Murcia Palacio Provincial de Archivos, Bibliotecas y Museos El edificio, conocido como Casa de la Cultura , fue construido como Palacio Provincial de Archivos, Bibliotecas y Museos y proyectado por los arquitectos Luis Moya y José Luis León. El día 2 de diciembre de 1941 el Ministro de Educación Nacional colocó la primera piedra pero distintos avatares, derivados fundamentalmente de la escasez de medios durante la posguerra, prolongaron las obras hasta octubre de 1953. Durante el verano de 1953 se trasladaron al nuevo edificio las colecciones arqueológicas, que quedaron instaladas en noviembre del mismo año.

Coat of arms of MELBOURNE Origin/meaning : The present arms were granted on March 18, 1970. The first arms of Melbourne were granted on January 30, 1940 and are similar to the arms used at present. In the old arms the first quarter showed the whale, the second the fleece, the third the bull and the fourth the ship. The supporters were added in 1970. The arms are based on the seal used by the city from 1843-1940. Galleries 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

Aztecs (Mexica) During the twelfth century AD the Mexica were a small and obscure tribe searching for a new homeland. Eventually they settled in the Valley of Mexico and founded their capital, Tenochtitlan, in 1345. At the beginning of the sixteenth century it was one of the largest cities in the world. Warfare was extremely important for the Mexica people and led them to conquer most of modern-day central and southern Mexico. They controlled their huge empire through military strength, a long-distance trading network and the tribute which conquered peoples had to pay. Stone sculpture in the British Museum collection reflects the Mexica's complex religious beliefs and the large pantheon of gods they worshipped.

Ancient Egypt Towards the end of the fourth millennium BC several independent city-states were unified to form a single state, marking the beginning of over 3,000 years of pharaonic civilisation in the Nile Valley. Fertile earth left behind after the yearly Nile flood provided the basis for Egypt’s agricultural prosperity, a key factor in the longevity of the civilisation. Impressive monuments were erected in the name of kings, from monumental temples for the gods to the pyramids marking the burials of rulers. The British Museum collection includes statuary and decorated architecture from throughout pharaonic history, often inscribed with hieroglyphs. Many other aspects of ancient Egyptian culture are represented: coffins and mummies of individuals, but also furniture, fine jewellery and other burial goods. These reflect the practice of lavish burials for the wealthy, which included the royal family, government officials and the priesthood.

Polynesia The islands of the eastern Pacific are known as Polynesia, from the Greek for ‘many islands’. They lie across a vast stretch of ocean from Hawaii in the north, to New Zealand in the south and Easter Island in the east. The western Polynesian islands of Fiji and Tonga were settled approximately 3,000 years ago, whilst New Zealand was settled as recently as AD1200. In the past, Polynesians were skilled navigators and canoe builders, creating double-hulled vessels capable of travelling great distances. Their societies were hierarchical, with the highest ranking people tracing their descent directly from the gods. These gods were all powerful and present in the world.

Piccadilly Circus, London The Circus lies at the intersection of five main roads: Regent Street, Shaftesbury Avenue, Piccadilly Street, Covent Street and Haymarket. It was created by John Nash as part of the future King George IV's plan to connect Carlton House - where the Prince Regent resided - with Regent's Park. The creation of Shaftesbury Avenue in 1885 turned the plaza into a busy traffic junction. This made Piccadilly Circus attractive for advertisers, who installed London's first illuminated billboards here in 1895. For some time the plaza was surrounded by billboards, creating London's version of Times Square, but