Tie MUSEUM Enlightenment Pym Rol RUM Mala a Loo) aThe Enlightenment Gallery; Room 1 Completed in 1828, this magnificent room, was designed by the architect Robert Smirke to house the library of George tl * now contains an exhibition about the ‘Age of Enlightenment, a time when people Including the collectors who created the British Museum ~ used reason and first hand observation of the world around them to understand it in new ways. 1 The Natural World At the time of its foundation in 1753, the collections in the British Museum were divided into 'Natural and Artificial Rarities’ ~ objects found in nature or made by people. Only a few rooms had man made objects, but case after case was filled with natural specimens ~ botanical animal, mineral and fossit - of the type you will find here, 2 The Birth of Archaeology For 200 years antiquaries had collected books, manuscripts, coins and other artefacts from the past. They travelled the country studying ruins in order to learn more about Britain’ early history But by 1828 they were a dying breed, replaced by specialist historians and archaeologists * The books from the King’s Library are now in ‘the British Library at St Pancras. The books onthe shelves of the Enlightenment Gallery now are on {oan from the House of Commons Library. 3 Art and Civilisation During the Enlightennyent, European collectors began to develop new histories at ancient art based on knowledge of abjects they owned or had seen on their travels. They believed in a ‘progress art {fom 'primitive’ beginnings to its height in the Classical civilisations of Europe. 4 Classifying the World The vast world of knowledge being gathered in the 18th century had to be Classified and organised so that it could bbe more easily understood and used. ‘The British Museum’s founders began to catalogue objects by type, material, date, purpose or culture — rather than simply as curiosities. 5 Ancient Scripts The search for knowledge about the past led to renewed interest in deciphering the mysterious forms of Egyptian hieroglyphs, Sanskrit and cuneiform This scholarly activity eventually led to the ‘cracking’ of their codes in the early 18th century, and thousands of years of history were opened up to research. 6 Religion and Ritual Europeans had long been inspired by ancient Greek and Roman mythology, but their mistrust of non-Christian beliefs had {ed to ignorance of other religions around the world. During the Enlightenment, scholars attempted to dispel this ignorance by researching gods, rituals and cults in many different cultures. 7 Trade and Discovery Throughout the Enlightenment, increasing competition ted Britain to search for ‘new trade routes, Merchants, diplomats, ‘explorers and collectors returned with artefacts that formed the beginning of ‘ai ‘ethnographic’ collection at the British Museum, in which objects were classified by culture rather than as exotic curiosities, Please do not touch the sculpture in the gallery Visit the Hands On desk to handle a variety of real objects. You are also welcome to touch the copy of the Rosetta Stone opposite the desk. Both the Hands On desk and the copy of the Rosetta Stone are located in section 5 of the gallery. Free children’s tr ‘A tail around the Enlightenment Gallery for families is available from the Hands On desk The Enlightenment alley was created {in partnership with House of omaons Ubrary British brary NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM Simon Sainsbury, The Wolfson Foundation and Francis Finlay, and supported by The Heritage Lotery Fund, The idem Fund The British Museum Friends, The John “Te Natural History Museum “This project was made possible by the generosity of {lecman Foundation and many others To Room 27 Great Court <—ae sy Ard ee ad Enlightenment Gallery daily at 12.30. For special events related to the gallery. ‘see the screens in the Great Court or eed Peed te Arent or sid ee tes al Ber ae boy Br Tag Re eee ee een eT Tg Multimedia Guide PMR TT Multimedia Guide (£), which includes Bt etn aad Cer ena es eeu cee) Guide Desk in the Great Court. ua 3 BRITISH WilUhy 0), feta RSA a» BT Beet Telephone +44 (0)20 7323 8000 PCa nr britishmuseum.org Ce ieaetel adeno dient cad Le dish epaeianiaeaciuaaranind ee pete Printed on Revive Uncosted paper. mace from 100% de-inked post-consumer waste. sing printing inks Cee ee a rae’ CoE one tn