A Sampling of a Colossus
LONDON, England —Having never visited the stately institution before, we set aside today for a foray to the incomparable British Museum. Established in 1753, while the American colonies were still a vital part of the empire, this repository of human history and culture houses more than 13 million objects in collections from every corner of the world.![]() |
Living and Dying Exhibit |
Ga Coffins
The Living and Dying exhibit explored ways that different peoples maintain health and well-being as well as the customs associated with death. The Ga people on the southeast coast of Ghana are renowned for their tradition of intricately carved figurative coffins. Legend has it that two brothers made an airplane-shaped coffin in 1951 for their grandmother, who had always wanted to fly but been unable to. Word of the decorative coffin spread until this new type of coffin became quite popular.
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Ghanan Coffins (photos from British Museum) |
Babylonian Boundary Stones
Boundary stones, or kudurru monuments, were used in Babylonia as permanent records of land ownership and of privileges such as tax exemption. They described sales or royal grantsor judgments. Sometimes they confirmed disputed decisions made by previous kings. The sun, moon and star engraved at the top of boundary stones represented the Mesopotamian sky-gods who were said to guarantee the legality of the stones.
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Babylonian Boundary Stones (photos from British Museum) |
Roman Freedman Portraits
These stone releifs were once part of tombs that lined the roads of the Roman Empire. Freedmen and freedwomen were former slaves who had purchased their freedom, earned it through service or been freed in an owner's will.
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Portraits of Roman Freedmen and Freedwomen |
Swedish Coins
From an exhibit on the history of money, we learned about Swedish copper. Beginning in the 17th century, large mines in Sweden produced massive amounts of copper, much of which was exported to Europe and Asia for the production of copper coins. Within Sweden, the copper was made into huge rectangular 'coins' as a replacement for multiple coins.
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Swedish Plate Money (1/2 daler on left, 8 daler on right) |
We Want More...
The British Museum is an immense archive housing one of the most comprehensive collections of art and artifacts in the world. On our visit, we were barely able to take in a small sample of the museum's offerings, giving us a compelling reason to return to London to meet more of the faces of history as the British Museum relates their stories.