Human world

Human World

Ancestor spirit mask, 'Iso ekpo'; SE Nigeria

There are a two sections within the Human World galleries:

World Cultures

The ethnology collection ranks among the top six collections in the country. The four main areas represented are:

• Africa: particularly strong selection of West and Central African items
• the Americas: important collections from the Arctic, Northwest Coast of North America, Mesoamerica, and the Amazon
• Oceania: much material from New Guinea, Fiji, the Solomon Islands and New Zealand
• Asia: one of the largest and strongest collections in the UK,

Find out more about the World Cultures collection

Ancient World

The five main areas represented are:

• British and European: a strong collection of Anglo-Saxon objects with other exceptional pieces.
• Egypt and Sudan: one of the largest and most representative collections in the country. Also home to our new Ancient Egypt gallery.
• Numismatics: nearly 18,000 items, including Greek, Roman and European coins.
• Near East and Cyprus: a varied collection of objects from Professor John Garstang’s and the museum’s fieldwork.
• Classical Archaeology: the largest collection of classical sculpture outside of the British Museum and a world-class collection of late antique ivories.

Find out more about the Ancient World collection

Weston Discovery Centre

Touch, explore and learn about the past and present human worlds in this fun, hands-on centre.

Find out more about the Weston Discovery Centre