The majority of the British Museum’s collections on the ground floor are located to your left as you enter. Head first into the great court with its glass and steel roof, then take the doorway on your left which leads into Room 4.
Amongst the collection of Egyptian artefacts which include stone sarcophagi and statues of their Gods is one of the most intriguing pieces in the museum, and it is the first piece that you will see upon entering.
The Rosetta Stone
For centuries the language of the ancient Egyptians was unreadable to modern scholars, however the discovery of the Rosetta Stone by Napoleon’s army in 1799 changed all that. Inscribed into the stone is a decree relating to the boy king Ptolemy V, but the significance of the decree is that it is written in three different languages: Hieroglyphic, Demotic and Greek.
Since the Greek text could be read, it was then possible to translate the Hieroglyphs. The English scientist Thomas Young was the first to do this, but it was Jean-Francois Champollion who realised that the pictures described the spoken words of the Egyptians. The discovery of the Rosetta Stone therefore led to a better understanding of the ancient civilisation.
The Elgin Marbles
Continuing straight ahead you come to Room 18 which contains the museum’s collection of sculptures from the Parthenon, an ancient Greek temple which was built at the Acropolis in Athens, and dedicated to the goddess Athena.
Amongst the display are partial statues of Gods, as well as carved scenes of a mythical battle between Centaurs and human Lapines; however the highlight is the long frieze showing the Panathenaia.
This was a celebration held every four years by the Athenian people in which they gave sacrifices to Athena. The carvings show people on horseback and riding chariots, along with cattle and jars of liquids being brought for sacrifice.
Enlightenment
On the opposite side of the atrium in Room 1, is a display dedicated to the age of Enlightenment. Separated into the various arts and sciences, there are books, fossils and statues on display, along with examples of earthenware and metalwork, which try to explain how pieces were viewed and collected at the time.
It is also the former home of King George III’s library, which was donated to the museum by his son George IV; however the books now on display come from the House of Commons library. But there is still a vast leather-bound collection with intriguing titles relating to science, history and literature.
