We’re taking a trip back to early 19th-century Japan and visiting Edo – modern-day Tokyo – as curator Alfred Haft reveals the unmissable sights, the cuisine you’ve got to try and the best places to stay in this historical travel guide.

We all need a little inspiration sometimes, especially while we’re stuck inside. We asked Museum staff to share their inspirational stories and powerful objects from the collection (and beyond) – we hope they inspire you too.

Newly appointed Trustee Mary Beard introduces you to her top five objects in the collection, and reveals a moment in the Museum that started her journey to becoming Professor of Classics at the University of Cambridge

Iszi talks to Nick Ashton about recent fieldwork on the coast of East Anglia that has pushed back the evidence of humans in Northern Europe to almost a million years ago.

Iszi talks to Andrew Robinson and tries to get to the bottom of the origins of writing. Was it invented once and transmitted around the world, or independently in places such as Mesopotamia, China and Easter Island? What inspired it: accountancy, statecraft, religion? Why are some ancient writing systems simple in appearance, others bewilderingly complex?

Join us as we celebrate 260 years since the Museum first opened its doors on 15 January 1759. From cats to conservation, we’ve compiled the biggest and best numbers from the last two and a half centuries.

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

To conclude our Pleasant vices series, Tasha Marks explores our complex relationship with sugar.

As part of the Pleasant vices series, food historian Tasha Marks invited brewers Michaela Charles and Susan Boyle to help her recreate a 5,000-year-old beer.

Food historian Tasha Marks explores the chocolate heyday of London and recreates Sir Hans Sloane’s hot chocolate recipe as part of our Pleasant vices series.

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 part of our series on ‘pleasant vices’, food historian Tasha Marks shares her top 5 aphrodisiacs from the British Museum’s collection.

From the ancient Egyptians to the Sámi people of northern Europe, music has been an integral part of societies around the world. To celebrate the Museum’s first major musical festival this April, here are 15 extraordinary instruments from history that hit just the right note!

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.

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

From Boudicca to the Amazons, historian, author and broadcaster Bettany Hughes uncovers the truth behind some of the most famous warrior women in history.

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

Millions of Muslims make the journey to Mecca each year. Here are a few of the key things you should know about this incredible pilgrimage.

Photography is not even 200 years old, and yet has changed the way we think about the world. Archivist Francesca Hillier and Senior Photographer Kevin Lovelock reveal the intriguing history of photography at the British Museum.

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…

Museum Archivist Francesca Hillier takes us through the fascinating history of the first building to house the British Museum’s collection, Montagu House.

London’s history has always been closely connected to the River Thames, one of the UK’s longest and deepest rivers. On London History Day, Jennifer Wexler, Digital Research Project Producer, dredges up some of the fascinating objects found in this famous river.

There are plenty of cats depicted in Museum objects, but did you know that real cats used to live at the Museum? Digital Creative Producer Nick Harris takes us through his podcast on this surprising aspect of the Museum’s history.

Today we relaunch the British Museum blog. But why today? Find out how our history connects past, present and future, and watch Hartwig Fischer, Director of the Museum, explain a bit about the Museum and its role in an ongoing global conversation.

Nick Harris, Digital Creative Producer chats with Curator of Modern Money, Tom Hockenhull, and Museum Historian, Marjorie Caygill, about how the Museum dealt with the threat from German bombers during the Blitz.