Venetia Porter, Curator of Islamic and Contemporary Middle East Art delves into the background behind Syrian-born, UK-based artist Issam Kourbaj’s evocative boat artwork. The boats are part of our current touring Spotlight Loan,Crossings: community and refuge.

What is Stonehenge? How old is it? And why was it constructed? Find out how and why Stonehenge was built and learn more about the people creating these extraordinary monuments and their beliefs in Britain, Ireland and continental Europe 4,500 years ago.

Thriving in one of the most arid regions in the world, the Nasca lived on the southern coast of modern-day Peru for around 850 years until AD 650. Peru exhibition curator Cecilia Pardo-Grau introduces their culture, including the colourful pottery, textiles and stunning Nasca Lines they’re known for.

Get a sneak peek at the British Museum’s 2022 special exhibitions as we take a first look at our shows on Stonehenge, hieroglyphs and feminine power.

Curator Cecilia Pardo Grau examines the different landscapes and environments, as well as the cultures and histories of Peru – from the high peaks of the Andes down to the Pacific coast – to give a glimpse of what’s explored in our upcoming exhibition.

On the anniversary of Thomas Becket’s translation, Dr John Jenkins from the Centre for Pilgrimage Studies at the University of York explains why the movement of Becket’s bones to a new shrine on 7 July 1220 was so significant.

Over 350 years after Thomas Becket’s death, his shrine was destroyed by agents of King Henry VIII. Professor Alec Ryrie from the Department of Theology and Religion at Durham University investigates why.

Jill Cook, Keeper, Department of Britain, Europe & Prehistory, takes a closer look at an object in the collection which explores ideas of refuge and community. The Lampedusa cross is part of our current touring exhibition, Crossings: community and refuge.

The name Nero is synonymous with tyranny, but what do we really know about the infamous Roman emperor? Mary Beard, historian and British Museum Trustee, asks 10 questions to search for the truth behind the myth.

Nicholas Vincent, Professor of Medieval History at the University of East Anglia, reveals a surprising link between Thomas Becket and the 1225 reissue of Magna Carta.

Curators Lloyd de Beer and Naomi Speakman investigate the murder of Thomas Becket and what we know about the perpetrators of this notorious crime.

Nero is one of Rome’s most infamous rulers, notorious for his cruelty, debauchery and eccentricity. But was he really the tyrant that history has painted him to be? Nero exhibition curator Francesca Bologna goes in search of the real Nero. 

Dogs have lived in the Arctic alongside humans for an incredible 17,000 years. Peter Loovers, curator of the Citi exhibition, Arctic: culture and climate explores the special relationship between Arctic Peoples and ‘man’s best friend’.

Venetia Porter, Curator of Islamic and Contemporary Middle East Art, looks at how artists of the Middle East and North Africa respond to, and reflect on, issues of gender, identity, politics, history and cultural tradition, through the prism of contemporary art.

Parka coats can be found in wardrobes around the world but did you know that this classic coat design originated in the Arctic? Amber Lincoln, curator of the Citi exhibition Arctic: culture and climate, explores how Arctic parkas are made, how they keep you warm and what their designs signify.

Find out how children stay warm in the Arctic with the help of beautiful parkas, and hear first-hand the experience of what it is like to design and wear one.

A mother, warrior, and symbol of revolution – the Tantric goddess Kali has many forms. Guest author Alex Wolfers explores them and examines Kali’s insurgent history in colonial Bengal.

From the story of one of Rome’s most infamous emperors, to the assassination of Thomas Becket, see what special exhibitions are coming up in our 2021 programme. 

Arctic exhibition curator Jago Cooper reflects on the profound impact of climate change on Arctic Peoples and their way of life and what we can learn  at this crucial time for the future of our planet. 

As we prepare to open the Citi exhibition Arctic: culture and climate, Organics Conservator Sophie Louise Rowe talks us through how she went about conserving two bags made of an unusual material.

Tantra transformed South Asia’s major religions, and today elements of it can still be found across Asia’s diverse cultures. However, it remains largely misunderstood in the West, where it is usually equated with sex.

Drawing can be so much more than just pencil on paper. Curator Isabel Seligman takes a look at the dynamic drawings in our touring exhibition, and explains the creative process behind an exhibition co-curated with partnership galleries.

Over thousands of years, Arctic Peoples have survived and thrived in the extreme climate of the Arctic. Here are 10 essentials you’d need to live in the most northerly place in the world.

Single-use and disposable objects are not a recent phenomenon, but the environmental impact of modern-day single-use items is huge. Kayte McSweeney and Julia Farley examine two disposable cups made 3,500 years apart that are on display in our current free exhibition, and take a look at what the Museum is doing to reduce its environmental impact.

As we announce Tantra: enlightenment to revolution, exhibition curator Imma Ramos explains how this radical South Asian philosophy has been opening up new ways of seeing the world for 1,500 years.

The Iliad and the Odyssey are two of the world’s most famous poems but very little is known about their creator, ‘Homer’. Historian and writer Daisy Dunn goes in search of the poet of the Trojan War, exploring who Homer was and whether he ever actually existed.

You might have a picture in your mind of the Arctic – with its vast icy landscapes and plentiful wildlife – but where actually is the Arctic and what cultures live there? Amber Lincoln, curator of the forthcoming Citi exhibition Arctic: culture and climate, reveals what life is like in the most northerly place in the world. 

Discover how the assassination of Thomas Becket in Canterbury Cathedral on 29 December 1170 changed the course of history…

Discover how Islamic design and technique prompted Western artists and craftspeople to create imitations or variations of the originals they encountered, and the impact this had on Western art and design.

Co-curators Julia Farley and Kayte McSweeney explore how rubbish has enabled archaeologists to better understand the lives of people living in ancient Britain, and consider what our own rubbish will say about us.

The myth of Troy has been told and retold throughout history and Hollywood hasn’t been immune to its lure. Here Honorary Research Fellow Lesley Fitton reveals her behind-the-scenes experience of working on the 2004 epic, Troy.

The ‘Iliad’ and the ‘Odyssey’ on the surface are stories of men. However, female characters are central to the conflict and its devastating aftermath. Here Natalie Haynes, author of ‘A Thousand Ships’, explores some of the stories of the women and goddesses from the myth of Troy.

Trustee of the Albukhary Foundation, Sharifah Zarah Albukhary discusses why the collaboration between two museums half way across the globe is so important in presenting the connections between East and West.

Tim Clark details some of the fascinating objects and stories that are on show in our free displays on the historic region of Nara in west-central Japan

The Greek hero Achilles is one of the most famous figures in Greek myth and a key character in the Trojan War. Discover the story of this hero, from his infamous anger to his ‘Achilles heel’.

Curator Julia Tugwell takes a closer look at the art movement of Orientalism, and the way in which North Africa and the Middle East were often represented as lands of beauty and intrigue by Western artists.

Curator Alexandra Green takes a look at the life and collections of Sir Stamford Raffles, highlighting his collecting practices in Southeast Asia and his contested legacy.

Author Helen McCarthy discusses how Tezuka Osamu helped to drive the manga revival and the development of the Japanese comic into a global phenomenon.

The way the Museum collects today is incredibly varied – sometimes objects enter the collection directly, in other instances they have passed through different owners, sometimes over a long period of time, before finally coming to the Museum. This blog looks at six key objects from the Collecting histories trail and charts their journey to the Museum.

Our current major exhibition explores Japanese manga and the variety of stories they tell. But storytelling through art is nothing new. Humans have long used pictures to communicate their greatest tales. Here we discover the stories told through nine different objects from around the world and throughout human history.  

Our newly announced special autumn exhibition looks at how artists and craftspeople from Europe and North America were inspired by – and represented – the Islamic world, especially the Middle East and North Africa. Exhibition co-curators Julia Tugwell and Olivia Threlkeld discuss how these artistic traditions and connections continue to stretch across the world and connect cultures.

Rembrandt is one of the most well-known artists in the world, equally adept at rendering sensitive portraits as producing show-stopping compositions. Curator Olenka Horbatsch explains what made the artist such a good storyteller and takes a closer look at the details in his work you might have missed. 

You may have heard of the city of Troy, the Trojan War, the wooden horse, and Helen, the most beautiful woman in the world. But there’s much more to the ancient myth of Troy. Here’s our summary of one of the greatest tales ever told.

The myth of the Trojan War has captivated people for thousands of years and has led pilgrims, explorers and archaeologists to search for the location where the famed conflict took place. But did the city really exist? In anticipation of our major autumn exhibition, curators Lesley Fitton and Alexandra Villing explore the reality behind the myth.

As we open the Citi exhibition Mangaマンガ,  exhibition curator Nicole Rousmaniere explores eight very different genres of manga, from boys’ love to adventure and explains why there’s a manga for everyone…

In 2018, conservators, curators and scientists had the challenge of preparing an imposing Tahitian mourning costume for display and long-term preservation. Head of Organic Conservation Monique Pullan talks you through the lengthy process

Tim Clark discusses the origins of manga, and debates whether Hokusai could actually be said to be the father of modern day manga…

Artists have subverted the common postcard for decades. Discover both the politics and playfulness of a unique collection of postcards recently gifted to the British Museum by the artists’ postcard expert Jeremy Cooper.

It is art’s most haunting and iconic face. A universal symbol of anxiety. It even has its own emoji. Discover more about the fascinating story behind The Scream, and maybe a few things you didn’t know.

With its exquisite palaces, vast libraries and lush gardens, Nineveh was one of the most important cities of the ancient world. Carine Harmand explores the 19th-century quest to locate and unearth the great lost city…

This year the British Museum will present the largest exhibition of manga ever held outside of Japan but what exactly is Manga, when did it originate and how do you read it? Exhibition Curator Nicole Rousmaniere tells you what you need to know about the Japanese phenomenon that has taken the world by storm.

Co-founder of the Pussyhat Project, Jayna Zweiman, talks about how the Pussyhat escalated from an object of protest to a cultural icon and symbol of women’s rights. 

Exhibition co-curator Tom Hockenhull has created an original playlist of songs that challenge, question and mock the status quo – and rightly take their place alongside the dissenting objects in the Citi exhibition I object: Ian Hislop’s search for dissent.

In our upcoming spring exhibition, we lift the veil on one of the most remarkable artists and printmakers of a generation – the Norwegian artist, Edvard Munch. He was the creator of art’s most iconic face – but who was the artist behind The Scream?

Delve into this great king’s world with Curator Gareth Brereton as he lifts the lid on the ancient sport of royal lion hunting.

From manga to Munch, the myths of Troy to the realities of feeding the world, see what’s coming up in our 2019 exhibitions programme!

Modern manga is a global phenomenon, but its roots stretch back further than you might imagine. Ryōko Matsuba and Alfred Haft introduce the history of the genre in 12 key works.

Ashurbanipal’s Library is one of the most important archaeological discoveries ever made. But what actually is it? Jonathan Taylor, Middle East Curator and expert on the Library of Ashurbanipal, takes a closer look…

King Ashurbanipal might have been a fearsome warrior but he was also a keen gardener! We take a look at how the Assyrian kings created a slice of paradise on earth with their exotic botanical gardens.

The Private Eye editor talks about a handful of favourite objects from his new exhibition.

Bénédicte Garnier, Musée Rodin, Paris, shares her passion for an unexpected aspect of Rodin’s art, rarely shown during his lifetime.

In advance of our major autumn exhibition, curator Gareth Brereton gives a run down of what you need to know about the Assyrians, from luxury palaces and lion hunting to libraries and letters.

Warrior. Scholar. Empire builder. King slayer. Lion hunter. Librarian. Take a closer look at the great Assyrian king Ashurbanipal.

Conservator Kasia Weglowska takes a closer look at ancient colour recently discovered on the Parthenon sculptures, some of which feature in our current Rodin exhibition.

Ahead of the Citi exhibition I object: Ian Hislop’s search for dissent, co-curators Tom Hockenhull and Ian Hislop take a look at a few of the fascinating stories of dissent that can be found in the show.

For our new exhibition we’ve invited historian and Private Eye editor Ian Hislop to rummage through the Museum’s collection on a mission to investigate stories of satire and subversion…

As the British Museum’s music festival Europe and the world: a symphony of cultures opens, Simon Broughton looks at how and why music is played across the world and has been for centuries.

A new exhibition focuses on the lives and work of three extraordinary men. Here, the curators provide a background to this fascinating story of art and friendship in post-war Greece.

Oungan (Vodou priest) and ethnomusicologist Gerdès Fleurant and Caribbean historian Kate Ramsey tell us more about a Vodou drum, on display now for the first time, in Room 3.

Professor of Anthropology and artist Gina Athena Ulysse reflects on her new commission by the Museum to respond to the current Asahi Shimbun Display A revolutionary legacy: Haiti and Toussaint Louverture.

Professor Charles Forsdick introduces the history of the Haitian Revolution, and discusses visual images of its leader, Toussaint Louverture, including the centrepiece of a new free display.

For two weeks this April, the British Museum will become a stage for music, with performances taking inspiration from around the world.

What it is like to hear voices that no-one else can? What does it mean? Professor Charles Fernyhough discusses the life of Margery Kempe, an English mystic who documented her experience with inner voices 600 years ago, and how her experiences can help to refine psychological and neuroscientific accounts of hallucinations.

In our new exhibition, find out how sculptures can complement one another, despite being created centuries apart.

Scientists Colin Blakemore and Tom McLeish examine how the cognitive impetus that drove the emergence of science might be considered to be the same impetus that fostered religion and other metaphysical beliefs.

Bioarchaeologist Eileen Murphy explains how examining the human remains from burials can help us to understand more about the Scythians.

To celebrate our special exhibition Rodin and the art of ancient Greece, here are 10 things you might not know about the great French sculptor Auguste Rodin.

Cultural anthropologist Veronica Strang, Executive Director of the Institute of Advanced Study, University of Durham, reveals the widespread role of water serpent beings in religious belief and ritual across the world.

Historian and author Tom Holland explains why the Museum’s latest exhibition is a revelation, bringing the Scythians alive from the pages of Herodotus.

Exhibition Curator Jill Cook provides a short introduction to some of the highlights of the exhibition Living with gods: peoples, places and worlds beyond.

Project Curator Chloe Leighton is given full rein to reveal how important horses were to the Scythians’ way of life.

Historian and broadcaster Dan Snow takes us behind the scenes of the Museum’s latest exhibition.

Curator St John Simpson gives us a glimpse behind the scenes of some of the many steps that go into producing a major exhibition on a large scale.

Sarah Jaffray, Project Officer for the Bridget Riley Art Foundation, talks about how drawing is enjoying a renaissance among art students, in part thanks to the Museum’s fascinating collection.

Curator St John Simpson takes a closer look at Scythian burial mounds and how they reveal what these nomadic warriors believed about the afterlife.

The Great Shrine of Amaravati was one of the most important Buddhist monuments in the world. Curator Imma Ramos explains the long history of this sacred site, and how we’re using new technology to help people find out about the people who funded its construction.

Angus Lockyer discusses the impact on modern art of Katsushika Hokusai – an artist whose work effortlessly moved between seen and unseen worlds.

If you’re excited about another fantastical series of Game of Thrones, you’re not alone. But George R R Martin’s vivid world has many real-life parallels. Here, take a closer look at the inspiration behind the bloodthirsty, horse-riding nomadic warriors, the Dothraki…

Laura Phillips, Head of Community Partnerships at the Museum, writes on the importance of institutions being bold with their LGBTQ histories, and why that can sometimes be a nerve-racking experience.

Julie Nelson Davis discusses the remarkable relationship between Hokusai and his daughter Katsushika Ōi, an accomplished artist in her own right who supported and worked as Hokusai’s collaborator during the final two decades of his life.

Japanese woodblock prints in the 18th and 19th centuries were often produced using inks which can fade dramatically when exposed to light. Scientist Capucine Korenberg explains how she investigated the risks of displaying some of Hokusai’s most iconic prints.

Traditional Japanese woodblock prints are renowned for their exquisite detail and colour. Curator Alfred Haft reveals how the skilled block cutter and printer helped to create these beautiful works of popular art.

With the exhibition The American Dream: pop to the present approaching its final few weeks, Susan Tallman tells us why it is time to pay attention.

A new film, the first documentary in English on Hokusai, brought the works of Japan’s greatest artist to the big screen across the UK and Ireland in 2017. Director Patricia Wheatley discusses Hokusai’s lasting influence, and how 8K technology has provided greater insight into his immortal skill.

We’re assuming you probably don’t know very much about the Scythians. But that’s OK! Ahead of our major exhibition opening in September 2017 we’ve compiled a handy beginner’s guide to these nomadic warriors, who galloped into the pages of history…

Curator of the BP exhibition Scythians: ancient warriors of Siberia St John Simpson takes a closer look at some of the intriguing objects in the show – beautiful and exquisite, unusual and unexpected, but above all light and portable…

Desire, love, identity is a small exhibition that draws selectively from across the breadth of the Museum’s vast collection to highlight LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer) histories that have until recently been overlooked or underrepresented in museums and galleries.

People are living longer than ever before and society is constantly reevaluating what it means to be ‘old’. Exhibition Curator Tim Clark reveals why Hokusai: beyond the Great Wave focuses on the last 30 years of the artist’s extraordinarily long life.

What is a print? How do artists create multiple versions of their works? What does lithography actually mean? Well, wonder no more as we take you through three techniques of getting print onto paper!

Take a closer look at one of the most famous artworks in the world. The Great Wave was created in 1831 but has had a remarkable influence on art ever since. Here are some key facts you might not know about this iconic masterpiece.

Ali’s Boat by Sadik Kwaish Alfraji tells a personal story of exile and migration. Venetia Porter and Holly Wright discuss how this artwork became part of The Asahi Shimbun Display Moving stories: three journeys.

2017 has been a busy year for the Prints and Drawing Department with two exhibitions recently opened at the British Museum. Conservation Mounter David Giles discusses the conservation preparations for these two very different exhibitions.

When archaeologists found what looked like a collection of footprints on a beach at Happisburgh (pronounced Haze-borough) in Norfolk, they were unaware they’d discovered tracks of early humans that were a million years old.

The exhibition The American Dream: pop to the present is now open. Why is this extraordinary collection of modern and contemporary art at the British Museum?

Famous for far longer than 15 minutes, a lot has been said about Andy Warhol already. But whether you’re an art novice or a world expert, you might just learn something new about ‘the Pope of pop art’.

Author, playwright and self-confessed Baby Boomer Bonnie Greer takes a personal look at five of the works featured in the Museum’s exhibition on American prints from 1960 to the present. From Andy Warhol to Kara Walker, what does a nation’s art say about the state of its politics and its identity?

In 1991, to mark the end of apartheid, BMW invited Esther Mahlangu to make a work of art for their Art Car project. Her work, with its brightly coloured geometric shapes, draws on the traditional house-painting designs of Ndebele people in South Africa.

Presenting 100,000 years of history through art was always going to be an immense challenge. Here, the co-curators of the current exhibition South Africa: the art of a nation give their personal insight into the thinking behind this ambitious project.

The new special exhibition for 2017, Hokusai: beyond the Great Wave (25 May – 13 August 2017), explores the work of Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849), considered by many to be Japan’s greatest artist.

The elephant-headed Ganesha is one of the most popular Hindu gods – the creator and remover of obstacles. Celebrating Ganesha is a Spotlight tour by the British Museum – as part of the tour a 13th schist sculpture of Ganesha will be touring six venues across the UK. In this blog post Antonia Harland-Lang interviewed members of the Oxford Hindu Temple and Community Centre Project about what it meant for an 800-year-old statue of Ganesha to travel to Oxford from the British Museum, and their experiences of being involved in the project.

Maggi Hambling talks to Hugo Chapman, Keeper of Prints and Drawings, about her exhibition ‘Touch: works on paper’ at the British Museum – a retrospective of Hambling’s prints and drawings, many of which have never been exhibited before.

Artist and designer Heidi Hinder together with the Citi Money Gallery Education Manager, Mieka Harris, and the Curator of the Citi Money Gallery, Ben Alsop recently led a workshop with a group of young people from the New Horizon Youth Centre as part of the Citi Money Gallery Education Programme. In the first workshop they explored the far-reaching significance of money.

2015 saw the ten-year anniversary of the Asahi Shimbun Displays at the British Museum. In this blog post Laura Purseglove and David Francis engage in a critical dialogue about the Asahi Shimbun Displays and the relationship to trends within museological and cultural theory.

The exhibition Egypt: faith after the pharaohs, examines religious identity in the first millennium AD, when Egypt became first a majority Christian population and later, Muslim. Today, Egyptian Christians, or Copts, are a significant minority. The extraordinary collections of the British Museum allow us to explore religious identities in Egypt up to the present, here through contemporary photography.

Art historian Frances Carey looks at the life of German artist Käthe Kollwitz and the inspiration behind some of her works. A selection of Käthe Kollwitz’s works will be on display in the exhibition Germany: memories of a nation running 16 October 2014 – 25 January 2015.

Joachim Whaley discusses the longest lived political system in German history, the Holy Roman Empire from its origin in Charlemagne’s Frankish realm to its destruction by Napoleon.

Although Viking graves took certain standardised forms – in the detail of the rituals it was clear that almost every funeral was different giving the deceased a personalised send-off. Neil Price looks at the complexity of one particular burial site at Kaupang, Norway.

Gareth Williams is working on the BP exhibition Vikings: life and legend, the largest Viking exhibition in the UK for over 30 years. In this blog Gareth discuses what we can expect from the exhibition along with the challenges of incorporating a 37 metre-long Viking ship into the new Sainsbury Exhibitions Gallery.

Tom Williams explains how objects in the new exhibition, the BP exhibition Vikings: life and legend indicate that the Vikings were working their way up and down the river systems of Russia and Ukraine more than a thousand years ago.

At over 37 metres long, Roskilde 6, the highlight of the BP exhibition Vikings: life and legend is the longest Viking ship ever discovered. In this blog Tom Williams talks us through the challenges of installation of this nature.

Tim Plyming, gives you a preview of what to expect from the live screening of Life and death in Pompeii and Herculaneum coming to cinemas across the UK to bring you a ‘private view’ experience of the museum’s latest exhibition.

In this blog, Vanessa Baldwin introduces us to the city of Herculaneum, often overshadowed by the city of Pompeii and explains why Herculaneum is just as important as its famous neighbour. 

A free exhibition, opening on 24 May 2012 at the British Museum will celebrate the epic story of the horse – a journey of 5,000 years that has revolutionised human history. Nigel Tallis gives us a preview of what to expect.