The Secretum (Latin for "hidden away") was a 19th-century,, private,, locked room in the British Museum basement, established in 1865 to house "obscene" or "indecent" artifacts considered unsuitable for public viewing. It was accessible only to "gentlemen of good character," featuring over 1,000 sexually explicit objects, fertility amulets, and items from ancient cultures.
What is the secret room of the British Museum and taboo materials were stored there in previous centuries?
The Secretum (Latin for 'hidden away') was a British Museum collection of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries that held artefacts and images deemed sexually graphic.
What is the most controversial item in the British Museum?
The most controversial item in the British Museum is widely considered to be the Parthenon Sculptures, also known as the Elgin Marbles, due to ongoing, decades-long disputes with Greece over their removal and calls for their return to the Acropolis in Athens. Other highly contentious objects include the Benin Bronzes and the Rosetta Stone, both subject to significant repatriation claims from Nigeria and Egypt, respectively, highlighting debates over colonial-era acquisitions.
Follow the iconic and revealing story of the boy king Tutankhamun at the British Museum. Tutankhamun's reign as an Egyptian pharaoh lasted around nine years (about 1336–1327 BC), but his legacy continues to shine centuries later. The 1922 discovery of his tomb in Egypt brought his story to the world.
A philosophy originating in medieval India, Tantra has been linked to successive waves of revolutionary thought, from its sixth-century transformation of Hinduism and Buddhism, to the Indian fight for independence and the rise of 1960s counterculture.
The Best Hidden Social History Museum in London? | Ragged School Museum
Where is Cleopatra Needle in London?
Exit Embankment station, stroll east along the Thames and you'll find this monumental piece of ancient Egyptian history on Victoria Embankment. It's placed in between the Golden Jubilee Bridges and Waterloo Bridge. Two large bronze sphinxes sit beside Cleopatra's Needle.
The oldest item is the Olduvai stone chopping tool, which is some 1.8 million years old, found in an early campsite in Tanzania. The British Museum has long recognised that some of the items it houses are contested – a reminder of Britain's colonial exploits.
What we can share is the type of material that we believe has been stolen. The vast majority of the items are from the Department of Greece and Rome and mainly fall into two categories: gems and jewellery. The items illustrated here are similar to those that are missing, but are still in the collection.
Why won't the British Museum return the Parthenon Marbles?
The British Museum argues that the sculptures in their collection should remain in London because there's nowhere to house them in Greece and that the Greek authorities can't look after them.
The ancient crystal was found in the sticks of Western Australia at a remote rock outcrop called Jack Hills. In a 2014 study, scientists dated the discovery to 4.39 billion years old, give or take a few million years. In other words, they'd confirmed the oldest known geological material.
What is the oldest complaint in the British Museum?
The oldest written customer complaint is the "Complaint tablet to Ea-nasir" and is 3767 years old, acquired by the British Museum (UK) in London, UK, in 1953. The tablet was discovered in the ancient city of Ur (southern Iraq).
There is a 19th century time capsule under the base of Cleopatra's Needle - the 68ft, 3,450-year-old obelisk on London's Victoria Embankment - containing a set of British currency, a railway guide, a Bible, and 12 portraits of "the prettiest English ladies".
This Spring, Tutankhamun: The Immersive Exhibition, a spectacular new hi-tech experience will open its doors at Immerse LDN at Excel London Waterfront on 28 March 2025.
The Staffordshire Hoard is the largest collection of Anglo-Saxon gold and silver metalwork ever found, anywhere in the world. It contains just under 4,000 objects and broken fragments, most of which are war-gear.
In the latter half of the 20th century, during the post-colonial era of the world, the British Museum increasingly came under the radar of examining colonial exploitation; namely, the accusation that most of the objects in its collection were 'stolen'.
Gibberish is a video art piece that attempts to interrupt and convey meaning using nonsense language. However, in its pure form, gibberish tends to simply sit in the same place artistically and not develop in the viewer's mind.
The playful word 'Splat' is defined with a humorous twist: 'A delightful, unexpected, and possibly messy form of artistic expression, often involving gravity and a sudden loss of composure.
Faceless portraits may lack defined features, but they're full of feeling, meaning, and style. By removing facial details, artists shift focus to posture, color, pattern, and setting, creating space for deeper emotional connections and personal interpretation. Portraits are about capturing a person in time.
