Treasures of the World's Cultures

Figure of a king from the Lewis Chessmen

The Treasures of the World’s Cultures exhibition brings together objects from the unparalleled collection of the British Museum. It is formed of artefacts from all historical eras and from all parts of the world.

From a stone handaxe that represents the first technology of our earliest human ancestors, the exhibition surveys human culture across civilisations, tracing the history of mankind from prehistory to the modern age.

The displayed material is both materially and visually diverse, ranging from classical sculptures to exquisite gold jewellery excavated in ancient Mesopotamia, from drawings by Renaissance masters to Native North American animal-skin coats.

The exhibition is divided into seven principle sections, the objects being organised according to geography and chronology. Object descriptions and introductory texts will encourage audiences to compare and contrast human experience and cultural achievement across time and place.

The Treasures exhibition allows the visitor to experience, in a distilled form, the breadth and diversity of the British Museum collection as it is presented in London.

This is the first time that this successful exhibition will be displayed at a European venue.

Centro de Arte Canal, Madrid, Spain
11 December 2009 – 10 May 2010

Image: Figure of a king from The Lewis Chessmen, Norway, about AD 1150-1200

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Cylinder seals, £90.00

Cylinder seals, £90.00