British Museum

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Why the
British Museum
is special

The British Museum in London, England exhibits a wealth of cultural masterpieces including famous antiquities and historic documents. Its four most celebrated crowd-pullers are the:

Rosetta Stone
Elgin Marbles
Great Court

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Rosetta Stone

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Hieroglyphics decoder

The 2200-year-old Rosetta Stone (see photo) stands only one meter high but is of towering significance. Its discovery in 1799 enabled archaeologists to decipher the hieroglyphics chiseled on ancient Egyptian temples. This was possible because an identical message is repeated on the Rosetta Stone using three different written languages. One of them is hieroglyphics. Because the archaeologists knew the other two, they learned how to interpret hieroglyphics.

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Elgin Marbles

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Their original home

These ancient Greek sculptures once adorned the Parthenon in Athens. In the nineteenth century, Lord Elgin shipped them to England.

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Controversy

The Elgin Marbles have embroiled the British Museum in a growing controversy. A number of individuals and cultural organizations argue that the museum should return these artistic masterpieces to Greece because Lord Elgin "stole" them (that is, he took them without obtaining proper approvals from the Greek government and people).

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Great Court

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Attention-grabber

The Eye-catching Queen Elizabeth II Great Court is a sizable courtyard covered by an immense curved glass ceiling and lined with Greek-facaded museum galleries.

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Reading room

The Great Court's focal point is the Reading Room edifice, which dramatically rises from the middle of the courtyard. This round structure houses a large, old-fashioned research library boasting a high-domed ceiling and long tables fanning out from the room's hub like wagon-wheel spokes. The ambiance is invitingly traditional. Use of this famous room was once limited to the few, but is now open to any museum-goer for walk-around sightseeing or for casual or serious reading at tables once used by celebrated writers and scholars.

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Magna Carta is gone

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It has a new home

This renowned 13th century document of freedom had long been one of the top draws of the British Museum. The Magna Carta was recently relocated permanently to the British Library.

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