The British Museum is bursting with fascinating artifacts and relics of the past, allowing students like myself to take on a more practical approach when studying history. From the Middle East to Japan, there are many different exhibitions one can attend to broaden their knowledge and learn new, exciting and multicultural facts about different countries!
On the 19th of December, my school advised its students to venture out into the buzzing atmosphere of London to gain a wider understanding of cultural capital and explore our A-level subjects beyond the average textbook. As history students, a group of us decided to go to the British Museum. When we had arrived, we were already astounded by its towering and grand pillars, illustrating the architectural richness of the building.
There were many different galleries within the museum which were free to enter, making our choices so broad and almost difficult! We decided to see the Rosetta Stone, which has a decree written in Egyptian and Greek using three scripts: hieroglyphic, demotic and Greek. Learning the history about this stone was extremely insightful as I read it was issued in 196 BC Ancient Egypt. It surprised me how carefully such a delicate piece of history was maintained, and the initial great detail of the stone's engravings.
We then went to the Americas galleries which was bursting with many vibrant colours. There were skulls that had been adorned with coloured fragments of glass and marble as well as items of clothing from the American West. They had feathers, complex patterns and glitter, further portraying the precision and high level of talent needed to produce such fantastic pieces. There were also uniquely designed masks from the Northwest Coast accompanied by spears and daggers, allowing visitors to really envision what life must have been like during the time period.
We leisurely made our way to the Japanese gallery, whereby I was astounded by their charming and loveable art. It came in the form of petite yet astonishing vases, paintings and even an inbuilt traditional Japanese tea house! I could really feel the richness of Japanese culture, architecture and history within the room. I was fascinated by the stories told through the paintings as it gave me a new outlook on art as a means of communication.
After a few more notable visits to galleries of the Middle East, Europe and Asia, we decided to call it a day as we had almost attended all the exhibitions. I asked my friend Melissa, who accompanied me on the trip, what she thought about the museums, to which she replied: 'I believe a trip to a museum, be it the British Museum or the Wellcome Collection, is extremely useful for widening one’s perspective'.
By attending the British Museum, I have delved deeper into my A-level subject, enriching my multicultural knowledge with a more interactive approach. Thus I heavily encourage everyone to take a trip to any museum and develop their cultural capital!
