The British Museum, with almost 100 galleries, houses the most comprehensive collection of gold artefacts ever assembled. A walk around the displays tells the whole history of gold. Begin with the treasures from the royal tombs at Ur in ancient Sumer, dating from 2600 BC, which include a delicate headdress of gold beech leaves and sophisticated gold chain. Admire Egyptian gold jewellery from 2500 to 400 BC, gold earrings from the Minoan civilisation of 1700-1500 BC, Hittite ornaments from Carchemishon on the Euphrates river dating before 1200BC, and sophisticated Etruscan jewellery from 550 BC (including a wonderful finger ring engraved with a winged horse facing a sphinx).

Most impressive of all is the Oxus treasure (Gallery 52), from the river that forms the northern border of Afghanistan, which comprises 170 gold objects, dating from around 450 BC, including model chariots with figures, a gold scabbard, a gold amulet mounted with griffin head with ibex horns and 51 gold plaques engraved with figures.

The story of gold continues through jewellery from Greece, Rome and Byzantium to the Sutton Hoo ship burial treasure from 625 AD, which includes a great gold buckle, the Royal Gold Cup made in Paris around 1380 for the King of France, and Asante gold from the early 19th century. And do not overlook the historic gold watches on show in the special clocks and watches gallery.

The British Museum also holds the world's most important collection of coins and money, with over 750,000 coins from before 600 BC to the present day, including a huge selection of Roman gold coin, gold dinars from Damascus in 696 AD from North Africa in 1277 AD and gold mohurs from India in 1605 AD.

The gold boom of the mid-14th century is marked by a display of gold from 25 different European mints, while another of the Fishpool treasure embraces 1,237 gold coins, mostly from the early 15th century. The full story of coin is summed up in the HSBC Gallery, which alone is an education.

See Also Library/History, Gold Exhibitions and British Museum/Sainsbury African Galleries

British Museum
Great Russell Street
London WC1B 3DG
UK

Tel.     +44 207 323 8000
          +44 207 323 8299
Fax     +44 20 7323 8616
Web    www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk
           
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Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday, Sunday 10 - 17.30
Thursday and Friday 10 - 20.30