Crash course in archaeology at the British Museum

What to expect

Follow in the footsteps of the great archaeologists, relic hunters and explorers who acquired the treasures of the British Museum, and learn about their adventures and the hazards they braved to make their astounding discoveries.

Get to grips with the history of human civilisation, exploring our earliest origins in Africa, the first civilisations in Mesopotamia and the first cities, and the great empires of Egypt, Assyria, Greece and Rome, and what happened after they collapsed.

Along the way, you’ll tour the British Museum’s most famous galleries, including Ancient Egypt and Assyria, Ancient Greece and Rome, the Vikings and the Aztecs, discovering world-famous artefacts such as the Rosetta Stone, the Parthenon Marbles and the Lewis Chessmen.

You’ll also have some fun learning to play one of the world’s most ancient board games, The Royal Game of Ur, whose rules were deciphered by British Museum scholars.

After lunch you’ll get down to finding out how we know what we know. You’ll hear about the geniuses who decoded ancient languages such as Egyptian hieroglyphs and Sumerian cuneiform, the world’s earliest written language.

Find out the science behind archaeology, discover how ancient objects are dated, how ancient sites come to be buried and puzzle over some of the mysteries of the ancient world that still elude us.

What to Bring

Comfortable shoes as the museum is huge and we'll be walking all over it.

Money for lunch or a packed lunch; the museum has several cafes and a pizzeria but they are often crowded at weekends, so you might prefer to bring you own food.

Length

The day usually takes five and a half hours and we usually wrap up at approximately 3.30pm.

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