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Published: June 14th 2009
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Hi Everyone!
This is a detail of my trip to the British Museum and Library. Established in 1753 it is over 250 years old! The museum itself could be in a museum! It has artifacts from over 3,000 years ago. And Admission is FREE! It is truly a pleasure to be surrounded by so much culture and history! They have the Rosetta Stone! I got to see it in person! (I almost bought one of those cheesy Rosetta Stone paper weights, but I restrained myself.) Apparently it was found built into another building, someone was trying to reuse the stone. Very environmentally conscious of them. And I guess we are glad they did because otherwise, who knows what might have happened to it.
The collection of Egyptian artifacts is amazing. Apparently, British scholars went to Egypt 200 years ago and got permission to excavate and just took everything home with them! Great Plan!
Someone once described it as the best collection of artifacts that anyone every stole!
There was a special room displaying Chinese Pottery. There was beautiful intricate designs. It reminds me of a book I read recently called Wild Swans about three generations of women in China. The
Rosetta Stone!
Discovered in 1799 by French Troops invading Egypt. Surrendered to the British Army in the Treaty of Alexandria 1801. Sent to the British Museum. Finders Keepers I guess. author lived through the cultural revolution. They burned books, destroyed temples and cultural centers, closed schools, defaced monuments, renamed streets, and did I mention they burned books? And the Chinese invented paper!
Imagine, if the pottery held in the British museum had been in China at the time, it would have been destroyed. Never to be seen again.
I also went to the British Library. I wanted to see the Magna Carta, but it is out being examined. I did get to see Shakespear's Folio, the Codex Sinaiticus: one of the first compilations of the Bible, the Diamond Sutra, and Beatles composition manuscripts!
Books are Wonderful!
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John
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Elgin Marbles
I'm glad the British Musuem preserved this historical artifact but I wish the Greeks could have a piece of their history back.