Building Historical Narratives in the British Museum

Narratives

• Building the skill of telling a story, giving an explanation or description or interpretation

• Using an object, more than one object to develop an idea, paint a picture of the past

• Comparing common views of the world from different cultures

• How do we get children to do this?

1. Telling Stories

• Trojan War - http://www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk/compass/ixbin/hixclient.exe?_IXDB_=compass&search-form=graphical/edu/main.html&submit-button=search

More Stories

• Objects that relate to events, people, gods, myths, etc. http://www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk/compass/ixbin/hixclient.exe?_IXDB_=compass&_IXFIRST_=1&_IXMAXHITS_=1&_IXSPFX_=graphical/gt/lin/&_IXtour=ENC14124&$+with+all_unique_id_index+is+$=ENC14124&submit-button=summary

• Use the story of a single object Next Slide

• A group of objects linked to a single story/person e.g. Cleopatra http://www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk/compass/ixbin/hixclient.exe?

_IXDB_=compass&_IXFIRST_=1&_IXMAXHITS_=1&_IXSPFX_=graphical/gt/lin/&$+with+all_unique_id_index+is+$=ENC7678&_IXtour=ENC7678&submit-button=summary • Unrelated objects telling the same story

from different angles – two sides of an event

How we used to live

• Food/drink, farming, village life, etc.• Dress• Homes/sanitation• Tools/technology in the home• What do objects tell us about an aspect

of life that is common to all cultures?• How important to…… was the

preparation of food?

How we look at the world

• Japanese landscapes Next Slide

• Animal images – what do they tell us about the role of animals, the way people used or worked with animals, mystical animals?

How we look at ourselves

• The Human Image tour• Masks Next Slide

Telling a Cultural Story

• Gladiators and Caesars • The Ancient Olympics• Sports around the world• Making music in different culture• Life and Death images• Mystery – unidentified objects,

Sutton Hoo•

http://www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk/compass/ixbin/hixclient.exe?_IXDB_=compass&search-form=graphical/gt/gtindex.html&submit-button=search

Some possible investigations to build narratives

• Helmets for war• Tools for killing, tools for living• Palaeolithic art – how did they live?• Religious stories, gods and heroes• Games and sport• Preparing food• Drink and drinking for celebration• Making music• Farming, the seasons, yearly cycles• Toys and Games• Buried treasure