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About The British Museum

The videos below can be seen on Smarthistory because The British Museum generously makes their videos available for distribution.

, The Standard of Ur, 2600-2400 B.C.E., shell, red limestone, lapis lazuli, and bitumen (original wood no longer exists), 21.59 x 49.53 x 12 cm, Ur © Trustees of the British Museum — Intentionally buried as part of an elaborate ritual, this ornate object tells us so much, but also too little.

Standard of Ur and other objects from ...

by The British Museum

The origin of the dōtaku is thought to be the Chinese cattle bell.

Dōtaku (ritual bells)

by The British Museum, Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker

arctic grid — In the Arctic, where temperatures are below freezing for most of the year, warm clothing is of great importance.

Arctic clothing

by The British Museum

Fatimid goldsmiths may have been inspired to use cloisonné enamel-work by imitating contemporary enameled gold jewelry from Byzantium.

Gold pendant with inset enamel decoration

by The British Museum

Pen-case, signed by the artist Ashraf ibn Riza, papier mâché, lacquer, gold, c. 1750, Qajar dynasty, Iran, 29 cm long (© The Trustees of the British Museum) — This luxury pen-case is made from papier mâché with lacquer painting, a tradition inspired by Chinese lacquer.

Lacquer pen-case, signed by the artist Ashraf ...

by The British Museum

vulture peak — This embroidery, discovered at Dunhuang, dates from China’s Tang dynasty (618–907) and depicts the Buddha preaching at Vulture Peak – in Buddhist tradition a favorite retreat of the Buddha and his disciples.

Buddha preaching at Vulture Peak embroidery

by The British Museum

coin grid — St Vincent, who is portrayed on this coin, was the patron saint of Portugal and of navigation

Gold S. Vincente of João III

by The British Museum

Clovis culture — The first clear evidence of human activity in North America are spearheads used to hunt large game.

Clovis culture, North America

by The British Museum

predyn grid — This pot comes from the tomb of a young woman, at el-Amra in Middle Egypt, but pots showing boats have been found throughout Egypt and into Nubia

Decorated jar, predynastic

by The British Museum

When decorated, the yams represent ancestral spirits called nggwal.

Gwaikwavi Wakaniambi, Yam mask or Bapamini

by The British Museum

senusret grid — This life-size statue of Senwosret III is one of three very similar statues excavated from the site of the funerary temple of King Nebhhepetre Mentuhotep II

Statues of Senusret III

by The British Museum

Scarab pendant, 1897–1878 B.C.E., 12th Dynasty, made under Senusret II, ancient Egypt, electrum, lapis lazuli, cornelian, and feldspar, 3.5 cm across for the wing span (© Trustees of the British Museum) — This piece of jewelry from Middle Kingdom Egypt is a pendant in the form of a winged scarab.

Scarab pendant

by The British Museum

thutmose IV grid — A surviving metal statue of an ancient Egyptian ruler

Bronze statuette of Thutmose IV

by The British Museum

lapis grid — There were close connections between the Indus Valley civilization and eastern Iran.

Lapis lazuli stamp seal

by Lauren Kilroy-Ewbank and The British Museum

nasca grid — The innovative techniques and aesthetic qualities of Nasca polychrome ceramics make them unique in the Andean region.

Nasca ceramics, an introduction

by The British Museum

buddha dunhuang grid — The central section of the painting is made up of scenes illustrating the Fumu enzhong jing, an apocryphal sutra that was popular at Dunhuang in this later period.

Illustration to the Fumu enzhong jing, Dunhuang

by The British Museum

This plaque is one of relatively few imported Maya objects ever found at Teotihuacan and indicates that interaction between the two cultures went both ways.

Plaque of a Maya king from Teotihuacan

by The British Museum

plate grid — This dish dates to the time of the Sasanian empire, and is typical of the high quality silverware that the Sasanians produced.

Silver dish

by The British Museum

coin grid — This coin and 13 other Hun examples, over 200 Sasanian silver coins and 5 gold Byzantine imitations, were all found in the relic deposit of the Tope Kelan stupa.

Silver dinar of the Alchon Huns

by The British Museum

shiva khmer grid — This image is of the major Hindu deity Shiva, who can be identified by the third eye in his forehead.

Figure of Shiva, Khmer Empire

by The British Museum