East stairs
East stairs
Visiting the gallery
Opening times
Daily: 10.00–17.00
See full opening hours
Advance booking advised
There is a display of 19th-century plaster casts of ancient sculptures from the New World and the Old World on the East stairs at the British Museum.
The casts on the ground floor and lower staircase are from Copan in Honduras, and Palenque and Yaxchilan in Mexico. Two large painted casts on the middle landing are from the tombs of the pharaohs Sety I and Merenptah in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt.
At the top are casts from the Hall of a Hundred Columns and the Palaces of Darius and Xerxes at Persepolis in Iran. The original sculptures still exist at these sites but are now damaged and weathered so these casts provide a permanent record of their earlier appearance.
Take a virtual tour
Take a closer look at casts from the Hall of a Hundred Columns and the Palaces of Darius and Xerxes at Persepolis in Iran on display at the top of the East stairs.
Highlights
Accessibility
- This gallery is set across a staircase starting on the ground floor, which has level access.
Visit Accessibility at the Museum for more information.
