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The Royal Game of Ur

One of the most popular games of the ancient world. This game board is one of several with a similar layout found by Leonard Woolley in the Royal Cemetery at Ur. The wood had decayed but the inlay of shell, red limestone and lapis lazuli survived in position so that the original shape could be restored.

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The Royal Game of Ur

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Popular BSL videos

The Lewis Chessmen

The chess pieces consist of elaborately worked walrus ivory and whales' teeth in the forms of seated kings and queens, mitred bishops, knights on their mounts, standing warders and pawns in the shape of obelisks.
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Statue of Ramesses II

One of the largest pieces of Egyptian sculpture in the British Museum, this statue shows Ramesses II, who succeeded his father Sethos I in around 1279 BC and ruled Egypt for 67 years.
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The Rosetta Stone

A valuable key to the decipherment of hieroglyphs, the inscription on the Rosetta Stone is a decree passed by a council of priests.
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BSL videos by gallery

Created for the British Museum's Multimedia Guide
sponsored by Korean Air

Room 1: Enlightenment
- Video: Taino ritual seat
- Video: Stockbridge urn
- Video: Assemblage of Works
- Video: Hans Sloane's shells
- Video: Sloane Astrolabe
- Video: Raffles Gamelan
- Video: Piranesi Vase
- Video: Bone comb from NZ
- Video: Moche warrior pot
- Video: Maya maize god statue
- Video: Intro to Enlightenment
- Video: Dr Dee's mirror
- Video: Bust of Sir R Smirk
- Video: Australian bark shield
Room 2: Changing Museum
- Video: Swimming reindeer
- Video: Olduvai handaxe
- Video: Olduvai chopping tool
- Video: Gold llama figurine
- Video: Bird-shaped pestle
- Video: Ain Sakhri lovers
Room 4: Egyptian sculpture
- Video: Rosetta Stone
- Video: Statue of Ramesses II
- Video: List of kings of Egypt
- Video: Bronze figure of a cat
- Video: Granodiorite barque
- Video: Limestone false door
Room 6: Assyrian sculpture and Balawat Gates
- Video: Black Obelisk
- Video: Bronze band, gates
Room 7–8 Assyria: Nimrud
- Video: Ashurnasirpal II
Room 9 Assyria: Nineveh
- Video: Sennacherib, SW6
Room 10: Assyria
- Video: Lachish relief (36, 10)
- Video: Colossal winged bull
- Video: Ashurnasirpal II (19)
Room 11 Greece: Cycladic Islands
- Video: Marble figurine, woman
Room 12 Greece: Minoans and Mycenaeans
- Video: Minoan bull leaper
- Video: Aigina treasure
Room 13: Greece 1050–520 BC
Room 14: Greek vases
- Video: Lekythos, Odysseus
Room 15: Athens and Lycia
- Video: Bust of Perikles
- Video: Relief from Harpy tomb
- Video: Chatsworth Head
Room 17: Nereid Monument
- Video: Nereid Monument
- Video: Nereid frieze 903
Room 18 Greece: Parthenon sculptures
- Video: Parthenon west pediment
- Video: Tray bearers
- Video: Three goddesses
- Video: Speeding chariot
- Video: Selene horse head
- Video: Figure of Running girl
- Video: Figure of a river-god
- Video: Centaur and Lapith
- Video: Figure of Iris
- Video: Parthenon Introduction
- Video: Parthenon, Horsemen
- Video: Gesturing horseman
- Video: Helios
- Video: The gods of the frieze
- Video: Female bearers on foot
- Video: Parthenon east pediment
- Video: Figure of Dionysos
- Video: Parthenon, south frieze
- Video: Parthenon, east frieze
- Video: Athena and Poseidon
Room 19 Greece: Athens
- Video: Caryatid, Erechtheion
Room 20: Greeks and Lycians
- Video: Aphrodite and Anchises
Room 21: Mausoleum of Halikarnassos
- Video: Colossal statue of man
Room 22: World of Alexander
- Video: Silver coin, Lysimachus
- Video: Marble column drum
- Video: Bronze portrait of man
Room 23: Greek and Roman sculpture
- Video: Lely's Venus, Aphrodite
Room 24: Living and Dying
- Video: Solomon Isl. ancestor
- Video: Meeting house Lintel
- Video: Hoa Hakananai'a
- Video: Eagle shaped coffin
- Video: Rock crystal skull
- Video: Dog-sled (uniek)

Room 25: Africa
Room 26: North America
Room 27: Mexico
Room 33: China, South Asia and Southeast Asia
Room 33a: Amaravati
- Video: Great Departure
Room 33b: Chinese jade
- Video: Jade cong
Room 34: The Islamic world
Room 38–39: Clocks and Watches
Room 40: Medieval Europe
Room 41: Europe 300–1100 AD
Room 45: Waddesdon Bequest
- Video: Holy Thorn Reliquary
Room 46: Europe 1400–1800
Room 47: Europe 1800–1900
Room 48: Europe 1900 to the present
- Video: Russian plate
Room 49: Roman Britain
Room 50: Britain and Europe 800 BC – AD 43
Room 51: Europe & Middle East 10,000–800 BC
Room 52: Ancient Iran
Room 53: Ancient South Arabia
- Video: Calcite incense burner

Room 54: Ancient Turkey
- Video: Silver bull
- Video: Basalt relief storm-god
Room 55: Mesopotamia 1500–539 BC
- Video: Map of the World
- Video: Flood Tablet, Gilgamesh
Room 56: Mesopotamia 6000–1500 BC
Room 57–9: Ancient Levant
- Video: Lime plaster statues
- Video: Ivory cosmetic box
Room 61: Ancient Egyptian life and death
- Video: Nebamun hunting
- Video: A feast for Nebamun
Room 62–3 Egyptian death and afterlife: mummies
Room 64: Early Egypt
Room 65: Egypt and Nubia
- Video: Sphinx of Taharqo
Room 67: Korea
Room 68: Money
Room 69: Greek and Roman life
Room 70: Roman Empire
Room 71: Etruscan world
- Video: Gold ear-stud
- Video: Painted sarcophagus
Room 72: Ancient Cyprus
- Video: Colossal bearded man
- Video: Copper ingot, oxhide
Room 73: Greeks in Italy
- Video: Red-figured wine bowl
- Video: Bronze horse and rider
Room 90: Prints and drawings
- Video: Epifania, a drawing
- Video: Albrecht Dürer's Rhino
Room 92–94: Japan
Room 95: Chinese Ceramics

Schools BSL project

Frank Barnes Primary School students describe some of the key objects in the Museum.

Introducing the Parthenon temple

Students aged 10 and 11 introduce the Parthenon temple.
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Describing African Masks

African masks and headdresses are just one part of a masquerader’s performance, which includes costume, music, story and dance.
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Looking at the Assyrian palace reliefs

Students describe the lions (and the dogs used for hunting them) as part of their recent work about animals.
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Looking at Athena's procession

Students aged 10 and 11 describe Athena's procession in the Parthenon temple.
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