British Museum Archives

The Silk Roads – an exhibition.

There’s a cool exhibition coming up at the British Museum in London! Have you ever heard about the Silk Road, or the Silk Roads, the ancient trade routes that connected Asia, Africa, and Europe. You might picture camel caravans trekking across deserts or traders swapping silks and spices at bustling markets. But the Silk Roads were way more than just one route. They were a complex network of paths that linked people and places from Japan to Britain, and from Scandinavia to Madagascar.

This exhibition at the museum will show you how these journeys shaped different cultures and histories. It focuses on a special time in Silk Roads history, from around AD 500 to 1000. During this period, there were big advancements in how different societies connected, and religions spread across continents.

The British Museum has teamed up with nearly 30 other institutions, and as a result, you can see objects from all around the world that is somehow connected to the Silk Roads. Many of the objects you can see at this exhibition has never been to the UK before, giving visitors an extraordinary opportunity to learn more about this exciting time in history.

But, this exhibition isn’t only about objects. As you visit the exhibition, you will get a chance to follow certain characters and figures, such as Willibald, an English balsam smuggler, and a famous Chinese princess who introduced silk farming to her new kingdom. Through following their stories, you can learn more about the Silk Roads and its impact on life back then and on life today.

The Silk Roads – an exhibition.

Location: British Museum
Dates: September 26, 2024 – February 23, 2025

Doesn’t this sound interesting? The ticket for this exhibition costs about 17 GBP, and it is always wise to book your ticket in advance on the Internet.

Would you like to learn more about other exhibitions, concerts, programs, festivals, running competitions, and activities in London? Find out what’s happening in London here.

caravan at the silk roads. — Illustration made with Bing Designer.

Are you looking for other experiences available close to the museum?

There are lots of cool places you should visit close to the British Museum. Have you ever had the chance to play Monopoly in real life, with you being the character on the table? You should read more about Monopoly Lifesized, very close to the museum.

If you want some fresh air in a green lung in London? Take a look at the Bedford Square Gardens, Russel Square, or the Bloomsbury Square Garden.

Would you like to learn even more about Egyptian history? The Petrie Museum dealing with Egyptian history and archeology is only a few blocks away from the British Museum.

Life in the Roman army – an exhibition.

If you have studied some history, you have read a lot about the Roman Empire, about Julius Caesar, the Colosseum, and maybe about the expansion of the Roman Empire. But, how did the empire expand? What was life like for a soldier fighting in the Roman army?

If you read about the Football World Cup in Qatar, it is one thing to learn about the situation of the workers by listening to FIFA President Gianni Infantino. But, you are quite likely to hear a different story if you speak to the actual workers who were out on the field doing the hard work.

So, what better way to learn about what life was like as a soldier in the Roman army, than through the eyes of actual soldiers? That is the perspective of this temporary exhibition in the British Museum in which you can learn more about what life was like for a soldier in the army of the Roman Empire.

The Roman army was attractive as they offered Roman citizenship to people joining the army. As a result, the army was a promise to people of a better life under better circumstances.

Would you like to learn more about what life was like for a soldier as he was fighting? Or maybe find out what family life was like for soldiers? This exhibition in the British Museum in London is one you should visit.

Life in the Roman army in the British Museum

Location: British Museum
Dates: February 1, 2024 – June 23, 2024

Admission fee: Even though the British Museum is free, this is a temporary exhibition for which you must pay an entrance fee. You can book tickets for the exhibition at the website of the British Museum.

Would you like to read more about other events, concerts, festivals, markets, and things happening in London? Visit our “What’s happening in London“-page to find out more.

Luxury and Power in Ancient Persia and Greece.

The Persian empire was gigantic, and it was also wealthy. That is why the Greek soldiers considered it a fantastic accomplishment as they conquered and destroyed the Persian empire. Not only were they surprised by what they had accomplished but also by the wealth and the treasuries they found among the Persian leaders.

This exhibition covers a time period between 550 BC and 30 BC. We can see how wealth and luxury was used as political power already back then.

If you want to visit the exhibition, it is recommended to buy your tickets online before arrival.

Luxury and Power in Ancient Persia and Greece.

British Museum
Entrance: £12 (or more)

May 4th, 2023 – August 13th, 2023

The mystery of the hieroglyphs.

To many, it is obvious today that we can understand what they wrote a long time ago in hieroglyphs in Egypt. But, a few hundred years ago, it wasn’t obvious at all, not until the discovery of the Rosetta stone, in which they could see the hieroglyphs next to other languages (translated), thus making it possible to understand the meaning of the symbols.

This exhibition in the British Museum will give you insight in the hard work made to decipher the hieroglyphs. It was a tremendous work, but it brought along blessings and a way bigger understanding of life several thousand years ago.

The Rosetta stone, which was crucial in this process, was discovered in 1799. On the stone, hieroglyphs were placed next to the demotic language and ancient Greek.

This exhibition will give you a further understanding of the ancient civilization of Egypt and also the incredible work done to understand the hieroglyphs.

Hieroglyphs: unlocking ancient Egypt

British Museum
Entrance: £18
October 12, 2022 – February 19, 2023

King Ashurbanipal of Assyria in the British Museum

Posted on September 21, 2018June 11, 2024 by worldcityguides

Between November 8th in 2018 and February 24th in 2019, visitors are invited to learn more about King Ashurbanipal of Assyria in the British Museum.

King Ashurbanipal described himself as the King of the World, and at this exhibition, he is portrayed as not only a king, but also a warrior, a scholar, an empire builder, a kingslayer, a lion hunter, and a librarian. Doesn’t that sound like a guy worthy of some attention?

He was the king of Assyria between year 669–631 BC, and he reigned from the city of Nineveh (today in Iraq). We know little about the death of the great king, but not long after his death, the city of Nineveh was destroyed, and the Assyrian Empire came to an end.

Since the 1840s, we have learned more and more about King Ashurbanipal. That is the knowledge that will be given on to the visitors of this temporary exhibition in the British Museum between November 8th (2018) and February 24th (2019).

Would you like to know more about King Ashurbanipal? Read the following article in the blog of the British Museum.

King Ashurbanipal of Assyria

British Museum
November 8 (2018) – February 24 (2019)

For more information about events taking place in London, other exhibitions, or maybe just info about the main attractions of the city, visit the London Guide.