A first visit through the collection

Start in the Great Court, with the circular Reading Room in view. This visit asks how objects change when they become part of a museum. A decree becomes a clue to a lost writing system. A royal image moves from its original setting into a room shared with other cultures. The Rosetta Stone and the colossal bust of Ramesses II introduce Egyptian writing and power. The lion-hunt reliefs bring an Assyrian ruler’s carefully arranged image of control, before the Parthenon sculptures reconnect carving with architecture. The Enlightenment gallery closes the selection by turning to the people who gathered and classified such things. Each subject leaves room to look closely. This route covers a chosen part of the collection, with the Great Court as its starting landmark.