Um, how is there anything left in the Middle East, Greece, and Egypt (among other places) when the British took it all? For some reason, I thought “The British Museum” would have British stuff (silly rabbit!), when in fact it is a giant trophy case for everything they have swiped from all over the globe. I know, I know….the Met in NYC has lots of Egyptian goodies too (although in their defense, they purchased their Egyptian temple after the government decided to let it fall to the bottom of a river valley they were flooding). But the British Museum -- holy crap. I only made it through one small wing of the place in an entire afternoon before I suddenly got a severe case of “museum head” and had to run out screaming. (For those of you who don’t know, “museum head” is a very real condition, diagnosed by Elaine on a particularly hilarious episode of Seinfeld.)Where to start? Well, the Rosetta Stone is the marquee attraction, so I got that out of the way at the beginning. I think my favourite thing was sculpture from the Assyrian Empire….especially the beautiful friezes that once adorned palace walls with the sacred tree and the eagle headed guardian spirits. The Egyptian mummy showcase is pretty impressive (if you are into that sort of thing). The Portland Vase is exquisite -- it's a dark blue Roman glass vase with white detail -- and the inspiration for Wedgewood!
Actually, I was ok with all of this stuff, but then I wandered into “The Parthenon Galleries,” and it all started to seem uncomfortably wrong. On display is a large variety of sculpture from the East and West pediments of the Parthenon in Athens. Seriously, shouldn’t they put that back where it belongs?? The place is still standing for God’s sake…people go there to see it, give it back already! I find it odd that if you want a comprehensive idea of the Parthenon, you have to go to Athens AND London to see it. I want to know a few things: Who the heck just walked up and carried that stuff out, and why has no one demanded it back??
Anyway, the place is choc-full of amazingly beautiful things that completely blew my mind -- jewellery, crowns, tombs, vases, coins, sculpture, art, paintings – stuff from literally every corner of the globe. Another one of my personal favourites is a tiny hippopotamus figurine carved out of blue stone, from Egypt. In itself the place is a free-standing world history lesson, and walking through it feels like a tour through the spoils of a massive treasure hunt (probably becuase it IS). The Reading Room is also extremely beautiful and impressive, as is the main atrium space that gives you the feeling of being outdoors.
I need another full day to skim through the rest of it and enjoy more audio tours. But you can check it out too! Visit the website for a “virtual” tour: http://www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk/.
1 comment:
My friend Tom responded to this post with an interesting addendum of his own. Clearly, I am not the only person who finds the British Museum's selection a bit...."hot"
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Says Tom:
Thank you for your comments about the British Museum. I have been there three times and often am amazed at how the stuff wound up there and when it is going to be returned to its righful owners.
But I guess that by now you've done some more digging and figured out that you (we) are not alone in our outrage. The Greeks and Brits are in constant negotiations over the return of antiquities. And every five years or so the Egyptian government demands the return of the Rosetta Stone. FYI See below an article on the latest go-'round, published as recently as eight months ago in an Egyptian pub.
Reams have been written about this disgrace and if it interests you, you can check it out easily. Also, when you go to Greece you can learn about it firsthand, from the aggrieved.
(To add insult to injury, the "Elgin Marbles" are not named for some magnificent place in Greece but rather for the man who stole them and brought them to England. Now that's Gall (not Gaul).
T.
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Thursday July 28, 2005
Stolen treasures
Zahi Hawass wants the Rosetta Stone back—among other things
By Henry Huttinger
ECA
Egypt is once again calling for the return of several celebrated antiquities currently on display in museums across Europe and America, including the Rosetta stone, the famous granite slab that was crucial in deciphering hieroglyphics.
The campaign to recuperate priceless artifacts taken by colonial powers is not new. But in recent weeks Zahi Hawass, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities and the public face of archaeology in Egypt, has grown more strident in his demands in a campaign that coincides with a world tour of Egyptology’s favorite son, King Tutankhamun. Hawass has even threatened to shut down British and Belgian archaeological digs in Egypt if the artifacts are not returned.
“The Rosetta stone is one of the most important pieces in the British Museum, but it is more important for Egypt,” Hawass said. “It is an essential piece of our Egyptian national and historical identity and was disgracefully smuggled out of the country.”
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