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Blog

Enjoy the latest news and stories from the British Museum.

A Greek pot in black and terracotta with scenes of women in a garden, graphic designs, a fluted neck and handles

Museum stories / 24 November 2023

History's most famous pot: the Meidias hydria

As the 'Meidias hydria' leaves London for the first time in 250 years, we trace the story of the life of this exceptional ancient Greek pot.

View of Mount Zwegabin with a river and fields in the foreground.

Exhibitions and events / 1 November 2023

An abundance of riches: Myanmar's many landscapes

Join us on a journey from the snow-capped mountains of the north to the tropical rainforests of the south.

Bronze helmet lying on the earth, mostly intact but with the crest box, one cheek-piece and several of the bosses missing.

Exhibitions and events / 18 October 2023

Introduction to Legion: life in the Roman army

Most stories of the Roman empire describe the history of powerful men. Legion focuses on the lives of ordinary soldiers.

Bronze helmet lying on the earth.

Blog / 17 October 2023

What's on at the British Museum in 2023/24?

Look forward to special exhibitions about life in the Roman army, Michelangelo's last decades and 1,500 years of Burma to Myanmar.

A colourful image showing crowds of people in Covent Garden, with flags and banners, standing in front of a church.

Museum stories / 29 September 2023

Black British History

This Black History Month, we explore the lives of members of the African diaspora who lived and worked in Britain, from the 1500s to today.

A pair of gold offering vessels

Blog / 13 September 2023

Conserving a Burmese offering vessel

Follow Conservation intern Maxim as he prepares a spectacular metre-high offering vessel for our latest exhibition.

A black and white image of a bound, mutilated and wasted human body being set upon by a crow-like bird

Blog / 25 August 2023

New acquisitions: Richard Hunt and Emma Amos

Catherine Daunt explores the art of Richard Hunt and Emma Amos, featured in our display 'New acquisitions: Paul Brill to Wendy Red Star'.

A white ceramic urn decorated with gilded lion griffins.

Exhibitions and events / 1 August 2023

All that glitters is not gold – emulating luxury in the ancient Greek world

Discover how ancient Greeks aspired to luxurious objects but couldn’t always afford the finest materials…

A map showing colourful mountains, a large expanse of red and of yellow, separated by a winding road or river.

Blog / 18 July 2023

Burma to Myanmar: 1500 years of connection and isolation

A story of trade, faith and empire at the crossroads of Southeast Asia.

A clear glass bowl with gold pattern decoration.

Blog / 29 June 2023

Glorious glass – worth more than gold?

Explore the mysterious origins of glass and how it earned its place as a marker of status and luxury.

A light blue hardback book on a red display plinth in a glass case. A hole has been drilled through the centre of the book, and a small metal boat filled with spent matches sits inside the hole.

Museum stories / 21 June 2023

A great artist on migration and refugees – the creation of Issam Kourbaj’s 'Precarious Passage'

This Refugee Week, Director Hartwig Fischer contemplates artist Issam Kourbaj's new work 'Precarious Passage', now on display in Room 2.

Lady Li photoshoot

Exhibitions and events / 18 May 2023

Fashion and photography – bringing 19th-century China to life

From an Empress to a soldier, discover how the remarkable individuals of 19th-century China are brought to life by costumes and photography.

A silk purse showing two colourful embroidered figures, one dressed as a tiger, in a garden scene.

Exhibitions and events / 17 May 2023

China's talismanic tigers

Discover why and how tigers were used as symbols of bravery in traditional Chinese culture.