History of the collection
In the early days of the
British Museum the collection was divided in three : Printed Books
(including prints); Manuscripts (including medals); Natural and
Artificial Productions (everything else).
In 1807 the Department of Antiquities was formed when
Antiquities were split off from Natural History. The following year
Prints and Drawings were removed from the library departments and
became a sub-division of the Department of Antiquities with its own
Keeper, becoming independent in 1836.
In 1861, on the retirement of Keeper, Edward Hawkins, the
Department of Antiquities was divided into: Coins and Medals;
Greek and Roman Antiquities; Oriental Antiquities. A
sub-department of British and Medieval Antiquities and
Ethnography was attached to the latter. This became a separate
Department in 1866.
In 1886 the Department of Oriental Antiquities changed its name
better to reflect its holdings and became the Department of
Egyptian and Assyrian Antiquities.
In 1912 a separate sub-department of Oriental Prints &
Drawings, was created.
Between the two world wars there were further changes. The
Department of Ceramics and Ethnography was established in
1921, housing both western and oriental ceramics as well as
ethnography. In 1933 western ceramics returned to the Department of
British and Medieval Antiquities.
In 1946 separate Departments of Ethnography and Oriental
Antiquities were established. A decade later in 1955, Egyptian and
Assyrian Antiquities split into Egyptian Antiquities and Western
Asiatic Antiquities. In 1969 British & Medieval Antiquities
also divided into Prehistoric & Romano-British Antiquities and
Medieval & Later Antiquities. Japanese Antiquities split from
Oriental Antiquities in 1987.
In 1931 the Museum set up a permanent Research Laboratory (a
temporary laboratory had been introduced in 1920). This divided in
1975 into Research Laboratory and Conservation and Technical
Services. These departments were reunited in 1982 but divided again
in 1985 as Scientific Research and Conservation. Since 2002 they
have again merged as the Department of Conservation,
Documentation and Science.
In recent years there have been a number of changes of name but
not of function: Ancient Egypt and Sudan (Egyptian
Antiquities); Middle East (Ancient Near East); Medieval and Modern
Europe (Medieval and Later Antiquities); Prehistory and
Early Europe (Prehistoric and Romano-British Antiquities). In
2003 Prehistory and Early Europe, and Medieval and Modern
Europe were reunited to become the Department of Prehistory and
Europe. Japanese Antiquities returned to Oriental Antiquities,
which became the Department of Asia.
History of the departments
For more detailed histories of the individual departments,
please follow the links below.
Image: Staircase of the old British Museum
in Montagu House with three stuffed giraffes and a rhinoceros.
George Scharf I, 1845, watercolour