The British Museum

Two museums in two days! Today was the British Museum, of which I saw less than half (which was more than I was capable of taking in in one trip).

The highlights of the museum are the Greek, Roman, Egyptian and (surprising, if only because they never seem to get a mention) Assyrian antiquities. Ten meter (and longer) marble friezes line the walls, and the galleries are filled with marble and stone statues, sarcophagi and columns.

Part of a Greek building transplanted to the museum

Greek statues, plus a marble frieze which runs the full length of the walls

A few of the Egyptian items, including a "colossal bust of the Pharaoh Ramses II"

The other fantastic part of the museum was the Enlightenment gallery, which serves as an overview of what the museum has to offer, and the world-view which gave birth to the museum. It manages to cram enough into one room (without feeling crowded) to be the 'museum-lite'.

A replica of the Rosetta Stone (the original is behind glass) in the Enlightenment Gallery - the Rosetta Stone was one of the first items to change the way people thought about Archeology by allowing them to unlock Egyptian writing and bring meaning to the artifacts

Upstairs is a collection of artifacts from every historical period in just about every part of the globe. They are fascinating, but can blur together a little - I think I'd want to return armed with a knowledge of and interest in a particular section of the museum (say, the Middle East pre-1000AD) to truly appreciate it. And looking back at my map I didn't even reach the American, African, Islamic or Pacific galleries, and only breezed through the Japan display, so if nothing else I've those to revisit.

There is heaps more for me to see and I'm sure I'll be back :)