THE British Museum is one of the most famous museums of human history and culture in the world. Established in 1753 and situated in London, England, its collections now number more than seven million objects which illustrate and document the story of human culture from its beginning to the present.
On Thursday, the museum opened a magnificent new exhibition, Babylon: Myth and Reality. The city of Babylon in modern-day Iraq has engendered a rich legacy in art and thought, from great paintings to contemporary film and music. This exhibition brings together such works of imagination with archaeological treasures from ancient Babylon, to reveal the reality behind the legends. Babylon will look at the famous myths and stories about the city that are familiar to all such as the Tower of Babel, the Hanging Gardens, Nebuchadnezzar's madness and the city's infamous fall. Babylon will show how the enduring power of the city's reputation in all its richness has inspired great art and works of imagination.
The exhibition concludes with a brief look at Babylon's recent history. Since the First World War the ancient city has been used as a state icon, and selected modern Iraqi material including stamps and banknotes that make use of Babylon's image will be on display. Finally the exhibition will consider the physical harm that the site of Babylon has suffered as a result of contemporary events and war. Learn more about the exhibition and explore Babylon online through multimedia resources at www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/future_exhibitions/babylon.aspx.
Another major event with a focus on the Middle East will take place at the British Museum in early 2009. At that time the museum will open a new Ancient Egyptian gallery centered on the spectacular painted tomb-chapel of Nebamun. The paintings are some of the most famous images of Egyptian art, and come from the now lost tomb-chapel of Nebamun, an accountant in the Temple of Amun at Karnak who died about 1350 BC, a generation or so before Tutankhamun. They show him at work and at leisure — surveying his estates and hunting in the marshes. An extensive conservation project — the largest in the Museum’s history — has been undertaken on the eleven large fragments which will go on public display for the first time in nearly ten years. New photographs of the conserved paintings are available online in the collections database and drawing on the latest research and fieldwork at Luxor, a computer “walk-through” of the reconstructed tomb-chapel will be available in the gallery, with an interactive version online.
One might think that these two impressive offerings on the Middle East would be enough, but like everything else the British Museum does, the information available at its website about the history and culture of this region is simply overwhelming. At www.britishmuseum.org/explore/online_tours/middle_east.aspx explore the Middle East in a virtual tour. The main page of the Middle East section allows the visitor to select themes such as “Agatha Christie and archaeology,” “The kingdoms of ancient South Arabia,” “The Queen of Sheba,” and “Iran before Islam: The Sasanians.” Click on a theme and then thumbnails of artifacts will appear. Click on those to see an explanation of the artifact. Related photos, drawings, charts, etc. may also appear below the photo of the artifact, and can be enlarged by selecting them directly.
