Carved skull made of clear rock crystal.

Death and memory

Search the collection

Explore the theme of death and memory.

From ghostbusting in Ancient Mesopotamia with Irving Finkel to an unparalleled discovery of Anglo-Saxon finery within a buried ship at Sutton Hoo, discover the fascinating beliefs and rituals around death and remembrance through our collection.

Read the stories and watch the videos below or search Collection online to uncover the compelling histories of people and objects that came before us. 

Collection stories

Collection highlights

  • Four canopic jars with different heads

    Canopic jars

  • Pottery red-figured Pottery: red-figured vessel for ceremonial bath-water showing the dead laid out on a bier

    Red-figured ceremonial vessel

  • Group of five cat mummies of different sizes and designs

    Cat mummies

  • Limestone grave-relief decorated in high relief with three figures

    Limestone grave-relief

  • Print of skeletons playing instruments

    The bones of mankind

Explore more themes

  • BM Dragon

    China

    China is one of the world's oldest civilisations and home to a quarter of the world's population.
  • A turquoise two-headed serpent mouth ajar, heads pointing in different directions.

    Americas

    The Americas encapsulate the remarkable narratives of cultural achievement and human experience across two continents.
  • Egyptian's hard at work counting geese.

    Egypt

    Some of the British Museum's best-known Collection items come from Egypt each with their own unique story.