Collection online | The British Museum

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Collection online

Around eight million objects are held in trust; about four million records are searchable, most with images released for non-commercial use. Roughly 80,000 objects are on display at any one time.

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Collection highlights

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By department

Eight departments look after the collection between them. Each has a page of its own with an essay, its objects and the rooms that hold them.

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By subject

Cutting across departments and dates: what these objects are actually about. Selecting one filters the index below.

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The full index

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Using the collection

Images, rights and study

Most collection images can be reused for non-commercial purposes under a Creative Commons licence, with credit. Commercial licensing runs through BM Images, and objects not on display can be seen in the study rooms by appointment.

Study roomsObjects not on display, brought out for anyone who asks in advance. Research projectsFieldwork, scientific analysis and the catalogues that come out of them.

Routes through real room numbers with a curator reading aloud.

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