Researcher Mathilde Touillon-Ricci takes us into the secret world of Assyrian smugglers and merchants, 4,000 years ago, and reveals some of their cunning plans to avoid paying taxes!

Curator Naomi Speakman sheds light on a few of her favourite medieval gems in the collection.

Today Rembrandt is considered one of the greatest artists ever, known for his remarkable drawing from life and attention to detail. However, not all of his works were met with praise during his lifetime. Curator Olenka Horbatsch explores how his naturalistic depictions of women caused controversy in the 17th century.

Ever wondered what makes a clock tick? Oliver Cooke, Curator of Horological Collections, unpacks the five elements that enable clocks to keep time. Take a peek under the hood and discover the mechanics behind clocks and watches.

Archivist Francesca Hillier takes us behind the scenes for a closer look at what’s in the Museum’s archives.

Curator William Greenwood takes a fresh look at some of the scientific instruments that will feature in the new Albukhary Foundation Galleries of the Islamic world, opening in October 2018.

Scientist Aude Mongiatti explains her process of investigation and discovery comparing the craftsmanship of the Oxus treasure with the style and techniques of Scythian gold.

Curator Irving Finkel may have joined the wrong department to look after the Lewis Chessmen, but that hasn’t stopped him writing a book on them, and having a surprising connection to a film about a certain boy wizard.

Curator Naomi Speakman explores the fantastical world of medieval bestiaries and the mythical creatures found within.

Ilona Regulski is Curator of Egyptian Written Culture at the British Museum. This includes looking after one of the most iconic objects in the world! Here, she shares what she has learnt since becoming the latest custodian of the Rosetta Stone.

Dora Thornton, Curator of Renaissance Collections, details how Queen Elizabeth I used her portrait to manipulate her public and private image.

Curator of horology Oli Cooke takes a closer look at a beautiful 17th-century clock that presents a novel way to tell the time in the middle of the night.

Thomas Hockenhull tells the story of an ordinary British penny of Edward VII, that was made extraordinary by a simple act of vandalism.  

To celebrate Global Money Week, Curator of the Citi Money Gallery Benjamin Alsop unpacks the sometimes weird, sometimes wonderful, but always fascinating world of money.

With the exhibition Desire, love, identity: exploring LGBTQ histories soon to open at the British Museum, Keeper Philip Attwood takes a look at the Museum’s collection of lesbian and gay badges.

The Jericho Skull is arguably the oldest portrait in the British Museum – a human skull from the ancient city of Jericho which had plaster applied to it to form a type of early facial reconstruction. The Jericho Skull is fascinating to look at, but since being discovered in 1953, archaeologists weren’t able to find out much more about this man – until now.

Curator Julia Farley explores the fashion world of 2,000 years ago and answers that eternal question: how should you wear a torc? 

Curator Julia Farley discusses some of the objects in the exhibition Celts: art and identity that help to answer the question: who were the celts?

Alexandra Fletcher discusses some of the ethical and practical issues associated with caring for and displaying human remains in the British Museum collection.

The intricate designs of Anglo-Saxon brooches, buckles, and other pieces of decorative metalwork are not just pretty decoration, they have multi-layered symbolic meanings and tell stories. Curator Rosie Weetch and Illustrator Craig Williams team up to decode some key Anglo-Saxon objects.

The Vandals have a reputation for wanton violence and destruction but was there more to them than that? Barry Ager explains how new archaeological discoveries might help us to see them from a more balanced perspective.

The Department of the Middle East have been preparing to display a panel showing a pacing, roaring lion that was once was part of King Nebuchadnezzar II’s throne room in his palace in the ancient city of Babylon, Iraq. Alexandra Fletcher explains how the panel has been pieced together to be displayed for the very first time in London.

Many of the objects in the Life and death in Pompeii and Herculaneum exhibition help tell extraordinarily human stories of the inhabitants of Pompeii and Herculaneum. In this blog, Vanessa Baldwin describes some of her favourites.

David Prudames discusses what we can learn about Roman civilastion from the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum featured in the exhibition Life and death in Pompeii and Herculaneum