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This website will close in December 2024. Visit the British Museum website to find alternative learning resources for students aged 3-18 years.

One hundred objects from museums across the UK with resources, information and teaching ideas to inspire your students’ interest in history.
More about this project

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History curriculum topic
Date
Place
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Explore
This website will close in December 2024. Visit the British Museum website to find alternative learning resources for students aged 3-18 years.

One hundred objects from museums across the UK with resources, information and teaching ideas to inspire your students’ interest in history.
More about this project


Key stage
History curriculum topic
Date
Place
Theme
Clear search

Photograph of Amy Barbour-James


Date: AD 1800 – present
Place: Britain
Themes: Trade and contact, Social and personal life

Suez Canal commemorative stamp


Date: AD 1800 – present
Place: Africa
Themes: Rule and rulers, Conflict, Empires

Anti-Apartheid badge


Date: AD 1800 – present
Place: Britain
Themes: Beliefs and ideas, Social and personal life

Provisional IRA poster


Date: AD 1800 – present
Place: Britain
Themes: Rule and rulers, Conflict

The Atomic Apocalypse


Date: AD 1800 – present
Place: Americas
Themes: Rule and rulers, Conflict, Social and personal life

Charles Edward Stuart’s travelling canteen


Date: AD 1600 – 1800
Place: Britain
Themes: Rule and rulers, Conflict

A cannon from the Mary Rose


Date: AD 1000 – 1600
Place: Britain
Themes: Rule and rulers, Conflict

An Athenian family


Date: 500 BC – AD 500
Place: Europe
Theme: Social and personal life

A silver coin from Athens


Date: 500 BC – AD 500
Place: Europe
Themes: Trade and contact, Rule and rulers

Jesse Jackson campaign badge


Date: AD 1800 – present
Place: Americas
Themes: Rule and rulers, Beliefs and ideas, Social and personal life

Cloth celebrating Ghanaian independence


Date: AD 1800 – present
Place: Africa
Theme: Empires

Banner of the London Jewish Bakers’ Union


Date: AD 1800 – present
Place: Britain
Themes: Rule and rulers, Social and personal life

Clock damaged by a German shell


Date: AD 1800 – present
Place: Britain
Theme: Conflict

Force-feeding equipment


Date: AD 1800 – present
Place: Britain
Themes: Rule and rulers, Social and personal life

Portrait of Richard III


Date: AD 1000 – 1600
Place: Britain
Theme: Rule and rulers

Enigma cipher machine


Date: AD 1800 – present
Place: Britain
Themes: Conflict, Technology and arts

A Victorian disaster


Date: AD 1800 – present
Place: Britain
Theme: Social and personal life

The first passenger locomotive


Date: AD 1800 – present
Place: Britain
Themes: Social and personal life, Technology and arts

Eye of Horus amulet


Date: Before 500 BC
Place: Africa
Themes: Beliefs and ideas, Social and personal life

A Mughal painting


Date: AD 1600 – 1800
Place: Asia
Themes: Rule and rulers, Empires

Aircraft factory works pass


Date: AD 1800 – present
Place: Britain
Themes: Conflict, Social and personal life

Flour for Lancashire workers


Date: AD 1800 – present
Place: Britain
Themes: Trade and contact, Social and personal life

The Peterloo Handkerchief


Date: AD 1800 – present
Place: Britain
Themes: Rule and rulers, Social and personal life

Ivory salt cellar from Benin


Date: AD 1000 – 1600
Place: Africa
Theme: Trade and contact

Akan drum


Date: AD 1600 – 1800
Place: Africa
Themes: Trade and contact, Empires

A Greek goddess


Date: Before 500 BC
Place: Europe
Theme: Beliefs and ideas

Commonplace Book of Erasmus Darwin


Date: AD 1600 – 1800
Place: Britain
Themes: Beliefs and ideas, Technology and arts

Glorious Revolution playing cards


Date: AD 1600 – 1800
Place: Britain
Themes: Rule and rulers, Beliefs and ideas

The Martyrdom of St Thomas Becket


Date: AD 1000 – 1600
Place: Britain
Themes: Rule and rulers, Beliefs and ideas

Russian revolutionary plate


Date: AD 1800 – present
Place: Europe
Themes: Rule and rulers, Beliefs and ideas, Social and personal life

Thomas Clarkson’s campaign chest


Date: AD 1600 – 1800
Place: Britain
Themes: Trade and contact, Beliefs and ideas, Empires

Corporation mace of Stratford-upon-Avon


Date: AD 1000 – 1600
Place: Britain
Themes: Beliefs and ideas, Social and personal life

Richard I and Saladin


Date: AD 1000 – 1600
Place: Britain
Themes: Trade and contact, Rule and rulers, Conflict

Tribute from Nubia


Date: Before 500 BC
Place: Africa
Themes: Trade and contact, Rule and rulers, Empires

A Restoration fan


Date: AD 1600 – 1800
Place: Britain
Themes: Rule and rulers, Beliefs and ideas, Social and personal life

Memorial ring for Charles I


Date: AD 1600 – 1800
Place: Britain
Themes: Rule and rulers, Social and personal life

Medieval jug from France


Date: AD 1000 – 1600
Place: Britain
Theme: Trade and contact

A Qing dynasty altar set


Date: AD 1600 – 1800
Place: Asia
Theme: Empires

A gas mask for a horse


Date: AD 1800 – present
Place: Europe
Theme: Conflict

Two Māori hand clubs


Date: AD 1600 – 1800
Place: Oceania
Themes: Empires, Technology and arts

A jewel of Elizabeth I


Date: AD 1000 – 1600
Place: Britain
Themes: Rule and rulers, Beliefs and ideas

Seal-die of an English baron


Date: AD 1000 – 1600
Place: Britain
Themes: Rule and rulers, Social and personal life

Medieval game counter


Date: AD 1000 – 1600
Place: Britain
Themes: Rule and rulers, Social and personal life

A Greek theatre mask


Date: 500 BC – AD 500
Place: Europe
Themes: Beliefs and ideas, Social and personal life, Technology and arts

Greek statue of a woman


Date: Before 500 BC
Place: Europe
Themes: Beliefs and ideas, Social and personal life, Technology and arts

An ancient Egyptian funeral procession


Date: Before 500 BC
Place: Africa
Themes: Beliefs and ideas, Social and personal life

Egyptian model of a house


Date: Before 500 BC
Place: Africa
Theme: Social and personal life

Ancient Egyptian food production


Date: Before 500 BC
Place: Africa
Themes: Social and personal life, Technology and arts

A Mesopotamian writing tablet


Date: Before 500 BC
Place: Asia
Themes: Beliefs and ideas, Social and personal life, Technology and arts

Anglo-Saxon stained glass


Date: AD 1000 – 1600
Place: Britain
Themes: Trade and contact, Beliefs and ideas, Technology and arts

An Anglo-Saxon woman’s key


Date: AD 500 – 1000
Place: Britain
Theme: Social and personal life

An Anglo-Saxon carved box


Date: AD 500 – 1000
Place: Britain
Themes: Beliefs and ideas, Technology and arts

Carved stone ball from Skara Brae


Date: Before 500 BC
Place: Britain
Themes: Beliefs and ideas, Social and personal life

Britain’s Bayeux tapestry


Date: AD 1800 – present
Place: Britain
Themes: Rule and rulers, Conflict

Figure of an Anglo-Saxon man


Date: AD 500 – 1000
Place: Britain
Themes: Trade and contact, Beliefs and ideas, Social and personal life

Florence Nightingale’s writing case


Date: AD 1800 – present
Place: Europe
Themes: Social and personal life, Technology and arts

Medieval gold pendant


Date: AD 1000 – 1600
Place: Britain
Theme: Beliefs and ideas

Earliest handaxe in Britain


Date: Before 500 BC
Place: Britain
Theme: Technology and arts

Roman gladiators vase


Date: 500 BC – AD 500
Place: Britain
Themes: Social and personal life, Empires

Viking scales and weights


Date: AD 500 – 1000
Place: Britain
Theme: Trade and contact

Greek jumping weights


Date: 500 BC – AD 500
Place: Europe
Themes: Beliefs and ideas, Social and personal life

Ancient Egyptian writing equipment


Date: Before 500 BC
Place: Africa
Themes: Social and personal life, Technology and arts

Colossal bust of Ramesses II


Date: Before 500 BC
Place: Africa
Themes: Rule and rulers, Social and personal life

A feast in ancient Egypt


Date: Before 500 BC
Place: Africa
Theme: Social and personal life

Early Chinese writing


Date: Before 500 BC
Place: Asia
Themes: Beliefs and ideas, Technology and arts

Page from a medical encyclopaedia in Arabic


Date: AD 1000 – 1600
Place: Asia
Themes: Beliefs and ideas, Technology and arts

The mummy and coffins of an Egyptian woman


Date: Before 500 BC
Place: Africa
Theme: Beliefs and ideas

Pictish wolf


Date: AD 500 – 1000
Place: Britain
Themes: Beliefs and ideas, Social and personal life

Roman game board


Date: 500 BC – AD 500
Place: Britain
Theme: Social and personal life

Iron Age horse trappings


Date: 500 BC – AD 500
Place: Britain
Themes: Rule and rulers, Technology and arts

Queen Victoria’s Jubilee badge


Date: AD 1800 – present
Place: Britain
Themes: Rule and rulers, Empires

Wedgwood tea set


Date: AD 1800 – present
Place: Britain
Themes: Empires, Technology and arts

The State Entry into Delhi


Date: AD 1800 – present
Place: Asia
Themes: Rule and rulers, Empires

A Viking dragon plaque


Date: AD 500 – 1000
Place: Britain
Theme: Social and personal life

King Alfred’s jewel


Date: AD 500 – 1000
Place: Britain
Themes: Rule and rulers, Social and personal life, Technology and arts

Viking treasure


Date: AD 500 – 1000
Place: Britain
Theme: Trade and contact

A Roman mystery word square


Date: 500 BC – AD 500
Place: Britain
Themes: Beliefs and ideas, Social and personal life, Empires

The Roman temple in Bath


Date: 500 BC – AD 500
Place: Britain
Themes: Beliefs and ideas, Empires

Tombstone of a Roman cavalryman


Date: 500 BC – AD 500
Place: Britain
Themes: Conflict, Empires, Technology and arts

An early Iron Age boat


Date: Before 500 BC
Place: Britain
Themes: Trade and contact, Technology and arts

The Oba of Benin


Date: AD 1000 – 1600
Place: Africa
Themes: Trade and contact, Rule and rulers

The Standard of Ur


Date: Before 500 BC
Place: Asia
Themes: Rule and rulers, Social and personal life

Roman silver pepper pot


Date: 500 BC – AD 500
Place: Britain
Themes: Trade and contact, Empires

Head of the emperor Hadrian


Date: 500 BC – AD 500
Place: Britain
Themes: Rule and rulers, Empires

Tools for making clothes in Iron Age Britain


Date: 500 BC – AD 500
Place: Britain
Themes: Social and personal life, Technology and arts

Neolithic quern for making flour


Date: Before 500 BC
Place: Britain
Themes: Social and personal life, Technology and arts

Fire bucket from the Great Fire of London


Date: AD 1600 – 1800
Place: Britain
Themes: Social and personal life, Technology and arts

The Maya maize god


Date: AD 500 – 1000
Place: Americas
Theme: Beliefs and ideas

Anglo-Saxon royal rings


Date: AD 500 – 1000
Place: Britain
Themes: Rule and rulers, Technology and arts

Bone engraved with a horse


Date: Before 500 BC
Place: Britain
Themes: Beliefs and ideas, Technology and arts

Guy Fawkes’ lantern


Date: AD 1600 – 1800
Place: Britain
Themes: Rule and rulers, Social and personal life

Palace doors from Nigeria


Date: AD 1800 – present
Place: Africa
Themes: Rule and rulers, Empires

Mesopotamian cylinder seal


Date: Before 500 BC
Place: Asia
Theme: Beliefs and ideas

Lintel from a Maya building


Date: AD 500 – 1000
Place: Americas
Themes: Rule and rulers, Beliefs and ideas

Bronze vessel from Shang China


Date: Before 500 BC
Place: Asia
Themes: Beliefs and ideas, Social and personal life, Technology and arts

Seals from the Indus Valley


Date: Before 500 BC
Place: Asia
Themes: Trade and contact, Technology and arts

A mace-head from near Stonehenge


Date: Before 500 BC
Place: Britain
Themes: Rule and rulers, Social and personal life

Mesolithic headdress


Date: Before 500 BC
Place: Britain
Themes: Beliefs and ideas, Social and personal life

Mesolithic woodworking tool


Date: Before 500 BC
Place: Britain
Theme: Technology and arts

The Sutton Hoo helmet


Date: AD 500 – 1000
Place: Britain
Themes: Trade and contact, Rule and rulers