The Seven Wonders Of The British Museum
Your visit to the British Museum is completely free. Therefore, it is possible for you to come to the Museum anytime and behold the alluring beauty of the things displayed here. If you are somewhere near the Holborn area, it would be in your best interests to go in and spend some minutes in the Museum. The British Museum is so vast that it is very difficult to finish seeing all the exhibits in one day or in a very short time. However, there are so many wonderful pieces in the Museum, which you should not miss on your first journey to the place.
Here are the seven wonders in the British Museum, which you should not miss on your British Museum tours.
Clarence’s Truck
Though many of the displays in the British Museum are ancient, there are exceptions as well. The Museum still updates its displays, in an attempt to bring together the artifacts from different cultures around the world. The Clarence’s Truck is a silver ring, which looks like a replica of a Dodge pick-up. Clarence Lee, a Navajo silversmith in the year 1998, made it.
It is made in the typical American metalwork style, which is about 150 years old. The ring reminds the visitor that there is a cultural history behind every artifact exhibited in the British Museum. After the Second World War, the Navajo got motor vehicles that made it easy for them to bring water. The water butt on the Clarence’s Truck is made in remembrance of this.
Three Human Figurines
Majority of the artifacts displayed in the British Museum are known for their extraordinary artistic appeal and craftwork. But on the other hand these three pieces of craft are known for their simplicity and antiquity. These clay figures were found from Bab edh-Dhra, which is near the Dead Sea. It is believed two of them represent men whereas the identity of one is not known.
Prosthetic Toe
The ancient Egyptians were greatly engrossed with the things about life after death. The British Museum abounds in mummies and mummy portraits along with many grave goods. Some people think that this false toe actually was symbolic of something else. They say that it ensured that the body after death went complete into the afterlife. But the wear and tear seen on the toe makes some others to believe that the toe was a real artificial limb used in 600 BC.
Copper Coffee House Token
Many of the people who visit the British Museum do not know that there is a gallery in the Museum, which is for money display alone. It is in this gallery that you can find this copper coin, which is not that stunning. These coins were widely used in the seventeenth century. The money was easily faked in those days and hence these coins were used in the coffee houses. They were places where people came to see each other, gossip and to show the etchings of cats. These coffee houses made their own coins, which they and their clients could use securely. This cultural history remains alive through these coins, which are exhibited in the British Museum gallery.
Colossal Horse From Halikarnassos
The Parthenon Elgin Marbles are of course a must see artifact in the British Museum. But it is very probable that this place is so crowded. You can relieve yourself from this difficult condition by passing to the nearby room of the Mausoleum in Halikarnassos. This huge tomb was constructed in the fourth century B.C in modern Turkey for king Maussollos of Karia. The tomb was decorated with large sculptures, which made them easily visible even from the ground. Some of these colossal sculptures can be seen in the British Museum of which the colossal horse was a part of the chariot group which conquered the monument.
Assyrian Lion Hunt
This is a sculpture work which is dated to 650 B.C. This is one of the most wonderful works you can see in the British Museum. It is a beautiful depiction of the lion hunting exercise of the kings. The Assyrian king can be seen sending away a number of lions, thereby displaying his power and majesty. The mechanism of doing this is very clear. First, the lions will be set free from the cages and send in the direction of the king. The servants with spears and dogs will safeguard the king. This is done repeatedly and thus the king’s power is displayed to the public.
Helmet And Crushed Skull From Ur
This piece is the clear depiction of the gruesome deaths that has happened in the past. It is said to be the crushed skull of a palace guard in the city of Ur. This happened when the soldiers and the servants did a mass suicide to accompany their king into the afterlife. Though it looks like 100 years old, it is actually from 2500 B.C.