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Blog

Enjoy the latest news and stories from the British Museum.

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.

A bearded man wearing brightly coloured dress in shades of red, orange, purple and blue. Includes a fur-lined cape and red hood.

Blog / 3 May 2023

Long live the King… of Kings! Accession ritual in ancient Persia

We explore how the ancient Persians crowned their Great Kings.

Close up of a straw cape and a pair of tweezers.

Exhibitions and events / 17 April 2023

Fabulous fibres for China's hidden century

Ahead of our special exhibition, our organic materials conservators reveal three of their favourite objects and the challenges they posed.

Ink and colour picture showing the head and shoulders of an elderly Chinese woman with her hair tied back. She is wearing green earings and a blue jacket decorated with gold leaves around the neck.

Exhibitions and events / 28 February 2023

An introduction to 19th-century China

In a global first, the resilience and innovation of 19th-century China are revealed in a major new exhibition.

A closeup of hands carefully removing Sellotape from papyrus with a scalpel.

Blog / 27 January 2023

Preserving papyrus: caring for 4000-year-old documents

Conservator Helen Sharp explains how she prepared ancient Egyptian texts for the Hieroglyphs exhibition.

A fragment of pale limestone covered with hieratic script in black ink.

Blog / 19 January 2023

Page turners: literature in ancient Egypt

Discover fantastical stories and biting satires as Ilona Regulski introduces us to the varied world of ancient Egyptian literature.

Blue and green contemporary artwork

Exhibitions and events / 12 January 2023

An introduction to Art on paper since 1960: the Hamish Parker collection

Curator Catherine Daunt highlights six works from our latest free display, celebrating around 150 works of art on paper.

A room of young students seating around tables looking at worksheets and talking with each other.

Blog / 21 December 2022

The children of Rashid

Fatma Keshk reveals the sometimes surprising and often spot-on takes from Egyptian students on ancient Egyptian objects.

Pieces of paper laid out on the floor on top of each other.

Blog / 19 December 2022

Enter the intriguing world of artists’ books

Curator Venetia Porter considers the history and nature of the unique medium of artists' books.