Game board with two pieces and a dice

Audio tour: collection highlights

Enjoy extracts from our audio guide about some of the British Museum's most popular objects.

From ancient flint handaxes to a penny defaced by suffragettes, listen to the audio tour while looking at the objects in the timeline below.

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Object timeline

400,000–350,000 BC

Two British handaxes

A picture of two axe heads
Hoxne, Suffolk, England
View on Collection online

2600–2400 BC

The Royal Game of Ur

Game board with two pieces and a dice
Ur (modern Tell el-Muqayyar), Iraq, Asia
View on Collection online

645–635 BC

Relief of a lion hunt

Alabaster wall panel showing lion hunt.
North Palace, Nineveh (near modern Mosul), Iraq, Asia
More about the lion hunt reliefs

447–432 BC

Parthenon gallery

Sculptures from the east pediment of the Parthenon
Athens, Greece
More about the Parthenon gallery

196 BC

The Rosetta Stone

The Rosetta Stone
Fort Saint Julien, El-Rashid (Rosetta), Egypt, Africa
More about the Rosetta Stone

c. AD 250

Amaravati double-sided relief

A relief from Amaravati, India depicting people and animals
Amaravati, India
More about Amaravati

Early AD 600s

The Sutton Hoo Helmet

Gold warrior helmet turned brown over time.
Suffolk, England
More about Sutton Hoo

1200

Hoa Hakananai'a

Hoa Hakananai'a sculpture made of basalt.
Probably Rano Kao, Easter Island, Polynesia
View on Collection online

1351

The David Vases

Two blue and white porcelain vases
Jingdezhen, Jiangxi Province, China, Asia
View on Collection online

1397

The Holy Thorn Reliquary

A reliquary made of gold and encrusted with sapphires and rubies.
Paris, France
View on Collection online

1400–1521

Double-headed serpent mosaic

A mosaic double headed serpent
Mexico, Central America
View on Collection online

c. 1545–1550

Iznik footed bowl

Footed bowl with blue and white decoration
Iznik, Bursa, Marmara Region, Turkey
View on Collection online

1580–1590

Mechanical galleon

A gilt figurine of a ship
Augsburg, Bavaria, Germany
View on Collection online

1500s–1800s

Samurai armour

Steel coloured Samurai suit and helmet with blue detail.
Japan, Asia
View on Collection online

c. 1650–1750

Moon jar

A white circular jar
Korea, Asia
View on Collection online

Mid-1800s

Warrior shirt

An Indigenous warrior shirt from Canada with long sleeves and decorative patterns on the shoulder and back
Alberta, Canada
View on Collection online

1903

Penny defaced by suffragettes

A coin defaced with a stamp proclaiming 'Votes for Women'
London, England
View on Collection online

2004

Tree of Life sculpture

A metal sculpture of a tree and a bird made entirely of weapons
Maputo, Mozambique, Africa
View on Collection online

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