London British Museum

The funny thing about the British Museum is that there’s almost nothing British in it. Founded in 1753 as the personal collection of Sir Hans Sloane, the museum juxtaposes Victorian Anglocentrism with a more modern, multicultural acceptance. The building itself, in all its Neoclassical splendor, is magnificent; a leisurely stroll through the less crowded galleries is well worth an afternoon visit. The many visitors who don’t make it past the main floor miss out—the galleries above and below are some of the museum’s best, if not the most famous.

GREAT COURT. The largest covered square in Europe, the Great court is a must-see. Used as the British Library stacks for the past 150 years, the courtyard is still dominated by a gigantic Reading Room. The blue chairs and desks, set inside a towering dome of books, have shouldered the weight of research by Marx, Lenin, and Trotsky, as well as almost every major British writer and intellectual.

WEST GALLERIES. From the main entrance, the large double doors to the left of the Reading Room lead to the Museum’s most popular wing. The Rosetta Stone takes center stage in the Egyptian Sculpture rooms, while the less iconic but enduringly huge monumental friezes and reliefs of the Assyrian, Hittite, and other Ancient Near Eastern civilizations are worth more than a glance. Most famous (and controversial) of the massive array of Greek sculptures on display are the Elgin Marbles from the Parthenon, statues carved under the direction of Athens’s greatest sculptor, Phidias (Room 18). The Greek government has been asking for the Marbles back for years, but the British government technically bought the Marbles (albeit for a measly price). Other Hellenic highlights include remnants of two of the seven Wonders of the Ancient World: the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus and the Mausoleum of Halikarnassos (Rooms 21-22). Upstairs, the Portland Vase presides over Roman ceramics and housewares (Room 70). When discovered in 1582, the vase had already been broken and reconstructed, and in 1845, it was shattered again by a drunk museum-goer. When it was put back together, 37 small chips were left over; two reconstructions have reincorporated more and more leftover chips, though some are still missing from the vase.

NORTH GALLERIES. Egyptian sarcophagi and mummies await in Rooms 61-66. The newer African Galleries display a fabulous collection accompanied by soft chanting, video displays, and abundant documentation (Room 25, lower floor). In Rooms 51-59, musical instruments and board games from the world’s first city, Ur, show that leisure time is a historical constant, while nearby, Mexico dominates the Americas collection with extraordinary Aztec artifacts (Rooms 26-27). Islamic art resides in Room 34, and above it, the largest room in the museum holds Chinese, South Asian, and Southeast Asian artifacts alongside some particularly impressive Hindu sculpture (Room 33). The highlight of the Korean display, in Room 67, is a sarangbang house built on-site, while a tea house is the centerpiece of the Japanese galleries (Rooms 92-94).

SOUTH AND EAST GALLERIES. The King’s Library gallery holds artifacts gathered from throughout the world by English explorers during the Enlightenment. While the labeling is poor (and in some places nonexistent), the collection itself is spectacular. The upper level of the museum’s southeast corner is dedicated to ancient and medieval Europe, including most of the museum’s British artifacts. A highlight of the collection is the treasure excavated from the Sutton Hoo Burial Ship; the magnificent inlaid helmet is the most famous example of Anglo-Saxon craftsmanship. Along with the ship is the Mildenhall Treasure, a trove of brilliantly preserved Roman artifacts (Room 41). Next door are the enigmatic and beautiful Lewis Chessmen, an 800-year-old Scandinavian chess set mysteriously abandoned on Scotland’s Outer Hebrides (Room 42). Collectors and enthusiasts will also enjoy the comprehensive Clock Gallery (Room 44) and Money Gallery (Room 68).