Museums · London
A day in the British Museum
Eight million objects, two hours — an opinionated route through the world's first public museum.
The British Museum opened in 1759 as the world's first national public museum. It now holds around eight million objects covering two million years of human history. You cannot see it all in a day; you can see the canonical highlights — Rosetta Stone, Parthenon Marbles, Lewis Chessmen, Sutton Hoo helmet, Aztec turquoise mask, Lindow Man — in two unhurried hours, with time over for one or two galleries that catch the eye.
