The British Museum--and Related Political Asides
Written: Apr 22 '00 (Updated Feb 25 '01)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Ancient masterpieces all around
Cons: Too much to see in too little time
The Bottom Line: The British Museum is one of the great institutions of its kind. It is a must-see during your trip to London.
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| DAnneC's Full Review: Galleries |
When my husband and I decided to spend only two days in London last fall, the first item on my personal agenda was to pay a visit to the British Museum. I wanted to see the museum's famous antiquities, including the Rosetta Stone, the Elgin Marbles, and Grecian urns worthy of odes.
Having cut our museum-going teeth on the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., my husband and I are by no means novices where great museums are concerned. Nonetheless, in my view, the British Museum long ago established the standard for the preservation and display of antiquities. We were sufficiently enticed by the museum's attractions to spend four hours of our brief two-day stay in London exploring these galleries, and we were not disappointed.
During our visit to the British Museum we found ourselves gazing in awe at mythical beasts that once guarded the gates of ancient Mesopotamian cities. We wandered around and through a series of Egyptian monuments created over a period of three millennia. We explored galleries containing Minoan jewelry, Mycenean pottery, Assyrian reliefs, Etruscan bronze weaponry, exquisite Greek and Roman vases, and much, much more. And of course, we spent as many long moments as possible savoring the museum's astonishing collection of Parthenon Sculptures, otherwise know as the Elgin Marbles. This in fact was our principal goal at the British Museum—to stand in the shadow of the incredible elegance and strength of these astonishing sculptures.
It was in the Parthenon galleries that I overhead another visitor making pejorative comments about the British Museum, focusing on the continuing controversy as to whether the museum should be condemned as a storehouse for some of the grandest thefts of all time (the opinion being expressed by my eavesdroppee) or praised for preserving some of humanity's greatest masterpieces (which, I confess, is my personal opinion). To the degree that such a controversy has merit, I would have to acknowledge that there is truth on both sides—not just for the British Museum but for all similar institutions, including my beloved Smithsonian.
Our judgments concerning these sins, however, are generally based on the political correctness of the moment. Certainly there are lessons to be learned from past mistakes, indeed from past arrogance and presumptuousness. Nonetheless, the collectors and scientists of generations past did manage to preserve much that would likely have been lost—or spirited away into private collections. In my opinion, this argument only has merit when such mistakes are perpetuated down to the present. The issue should not be one of casting endless blame for past ignorance and error; rather it should be on how the wealth of knowledge and human culture preserved within these collections can best be safeguarded for future generations.
Leaving these important (and they are important) political considerations aside, the British Museum is a must-see for anyone with a passion for the ancient accomplishments of humanity. As a living institution nearing its 250th anniversary, it first opened its collections to the public in 1759. As such, the British Museum has done much to establish the tradition carried on by most of the world's great museums to combine practical and scholarly research with public education. It was and is a grand and ambitious undertaking for which I am personally grateful.
Admission to the museum is free, though a contribution of £2 per person is seriously encouraged. (Museum staff seem to direct younger visitors toward the honor boxes at the entrance, while they allow visitors in the senior-citizen category to slip past.) The museum's small cafeteria deserves favorable comment. Unlike most of our Smithsonian cafeterias that tend to cater to fast food consumed in noisy and crowded areas, the British Museum offers good food in a setting that encourages relaxed conversation or quiet reflection. The food is not cheap, but neither is it terribly expensive. For us, it was a pleasant and restful setting for a cup of tea and a croissant.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
DAnneC
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Location: Small Town America
Reviews written: 215
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About Me:
Loves history, travel, gardens, and words in general
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