Fun Facts about the British Museum

Rinks
25 November, 2020
2 mins ago

Fun facts about the British Museum- The oldest Museum, home to the most exciting artefacts collected from around the world.

The oldest collection of artefacts that dates back to two million years is something you must visit London for. The quirky secrets and world-class collection is something you won’t find in any other part of the world. Satisfy the historical wanderer in you and visit the top tourist location in London.

The Oldest Museum-

The first national public Museum to be permitted. Opened in 1759, twenty years before the inauguration of Louvre Museum in France and 22 years before opening the Belvedere Palace to the public of Austria.

Opening Of British Library In The Museum-

The British Museum is more than just a home to eight million artefacts. The collection grew too much to accommodate in the building and had to have an extended site at in South Kensington to stock its natural history samples. This site was renamed as London’s Natural History Museum which in 1973 was known as the British Library.

Home To The Oxus Treasure, Rosetta Stone And Elgin Marbles-

A selection of metalwork of 1877-1800 found by Oxus River, the collection has about 180 pieces of gold and silver with about 200 coins of that era. It is believed to have survived the Achaemenes Persian period.

The Elgin marbles, also referred to as the Parthenon Marbles is a collection of Greek sculptures. They were brought to Britain in 1800 by acquiring them from Athens.

Rosetta stone belongs to an actual stone that was found in Egypt in 1799. The rock contains antique hieroglyphs engraved onto it. Its discovery was instrumental to the rendition of Ancient Egyptian writing.

The Museum Is Frequently Visited By Tricksters-

The most recorded trickster attempts on stealing from a museum were probably made in the British Museum. The most prominent ones from these are the incidents from 2002, 2004, 2005.

The Most Missed Guard Of The Museum Was A Cat-

The furriest fact of the Museum is that the Museum has been a place for cats to board over centuries—the cats are seen patrolling at the courtside. Mike, the gatekeeper cat 1909-1929 was mourned by the staff after his death, and his obituary was featured in TIME magazine.