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Our tour this week takes us across the Atlantic to an entirely different country! We will be visiting and taking a virtual tour with The British Museum.

Founded in 1753, the British Museum was the first national museum to cover all fields of human knowledge. With over 8 million objects, it is considered to be one of the largest museum collections in the world. It houses antiquities from around the world, including the Rosetta Stone, which was carved in 196 BCE. It is the UK’s most popular attraction, welcoming around 6.5 million visitors each year.

To see their website, click here: https://www.britishmuseum.org/

We’re exploring, through the British Museum, the disaster at Pompeii and Herculaneum. Even though the eruption of Mount Vesuvius was thousands of years ago, we continue to study the ruins to learn more about life all those centuries ago. To refresh:

If you want to read more of an overview, click here: https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-rome/pompeii#herculaneum-and-pompeii

Ready to go? Our virtual tour this week in an hour and a half video, presented by the British Museum from 2013. They filmed their exhibits at the time and brought in experts on the subject. As a warning, per the British Museum: “Please be advised this recording is BBFC rated as 12A and contains some sexual imagery and swearing, viewer discretion is advised.”

Click on this link to watch the virtual tour: 

If you want to explore the channel some more, go ahead and click here:

Feeling like you need some more museum fun? Check out some of the links below to virtually tour some museums or learn a little bit more about the collections they house. 

This is a very brief list of some of the more Here’s a list of some of the more famous museums in the world. How many have you heard of or even visited?

The Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

This museum is a world-renowned repository of art, displaying approximately 8,000 works out of a collection of 1 million objects. Originally in The Hague, the museum moved to the capital city of Amsterdam in 1808 and has displayed some of the finest Dutch art anywhere. Along with Vermeer’s Milkmaid, you can find Van Gogh’s Self-portrait and Rembrandt’s The Night Watch. 

To check out their official website, go here:

To take a virtual tour of some of the the works, go here: https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/rijksmuseum

• The Vatican Museums, Vatican City, Italy

Considered a micro nation, Vatican City holds a wealth of cultural and religious treasures. Nestled in the heart of Rome, this 120 acre area is home to St. Peter’s Basilica, the largest church in the world.  The massive Basilica can host 20,000 people for prayer and showcases the world’s largest dome (topping out at 448.1 feet). Aside from the stunning displays of 16th century mosaics and architecture, the Vatican also houses the Vatican Museums, which include the Sistine Chapel (pictured). 

You can see the official museum website here: 

You can take a virtual tour of many parts of the museum by visiting here: 

The Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC

Known as ‘America’s Attic’, the Smithsonian was founded with the help of a grant of funds from Englishman James Smithson in 1846. Smithson wished for the establishment of an institution named for him that would be an “establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge”. The Institution has grown to include dozens of museums, points of interest, and research centers. Many particularly enjoy visiting the National Air and Space Museum to see the Wright brothers’ 1903 Flyer and the Apollo 11 command module. 

To see the official website, click here:

To virtually explore the Institution, click here: 

Le Louvre, Paris, France

Even the building itself showcases French political and architectural history, dating back to the 12the century. The Louvre is famously home to Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, as well as the famous statue Venus de Milo. The galleries of art and antiquities occupy almost 15 acres and are divided into departments (Egyptian Antiquities, Greek, Sculptures, Decorative Arts, etc.). It is one of the most popular museums in the world, as it welcomes over 15,000 visitors per day! If you want to see famous works of art in privacy, this certainly isn’t the place for you!

The official website can be found here:

Virtual tour options can be found here: 

And that’s a wrap on our tour for this week! Please let me know what you thought and what you watched in this very quick survey (below).

Thank you all for coming along this week to try something new! I can’t wait to see you all next week!