Legion: life in the Roman army (until 23 June 2024), this intimate yet expansive exhibition brings to life the men, women and children of the Roman empire and shows how the imperial army shaped the culture and politics of Europe, North Africa and Western Asia. You can discover stories from ancient Pompeii, solve a 2,000-year-old murder mystery from Kent, and find out about the world's first pension scheme while unlocking a deeper understanding of the most successful military force in Western history – and how its legacy continues to influence our lives today.
Members can also look forward to Michelangelo: the last decades (2 May – 28 July 2024) looking at the last 30 years of Michelangelo's remarkable life. Intimate letters, poems and drawings will offer powerful insights into his faith, relationships and experiences of old age. This will be followed by a major exhibition on the history of the 'silk road' (September 2024 – February 2025), following how the journeys of people, objects and ideas shaped cultures and histories in the period AD 500 to 1000 and an exhibition looking at Picasso's engagement with printmaking across the 20th century.