This Boulton & Watt engine was the first full-sized engine acquired for the collections and is one of the oldest surviving beam engines in the world.

Explore how we use our collections to understand the past, present and future of the climate emergency.

Learn how to say colours in Mandarin, explore the museum collections, in person or virtually, and create your own Chinese object card.

Get hands-on with craft ideas inspired by our collections.

From intricate firelighting tools to rocket-powered aircraft and a fire alarm with a difference, our collections feature intriguing links to the element fire.

A unique, full-length mummy shroud, which is over 2,000 years old yet is still in remarkable condition, has been discovered in National Museums Scotland’s collections.

These medieval chess pieces from the Scottish island of Lewis are among our most popular collections. They give us fascinating insights into the international connections of western Scotland and the growing popularity of chess in medieval Europe.

National Museums Scotland has been awarded a grant by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) with the National Maritime Museum, London to enable organisations around the UK to work with community groups to explore experiences of empire, migration, and life in Britain through their collections.

What do museum collections reveal about Britain’s and Scotland’s role in the Transatlantic slave system and the experiences of enslaved people?

We’ve teamed up with upcycling experts Ostrero and artist Bryony Knox to create a design for a cool owl badge – made form a fizzy drinks can! Try it out today.

Get to know Scottish literary icon Robert Burns through remarkable objects in the collections of National Museums Scotland.

These four unique instruments were specially created for Performance and Lives gallery at the National Museum of Scotland by internationally renowned composer and artist Victor Gama.

Acclaimed historian and broadcaster Michael Wood joined Dr Adrián Maldonado, Glenmorangie Research Fellow, to discuss Adrián’s new book, 'Crucible of Nations: Scotland from Viking Age to Medieval Kingdom'. The book reassesses the museum’s Viking-age collections, uncovering an exciting new vision of Scotland’s diverse and creative past.

A variety of objects relating to the life of Scotland's bard can be found in National Museums Scotland's collections.

Our collections represent Scottish material culture from the earliest times to the present day.

New to the National Collection showcased the latest additions to our collections, including objects that will feature in ten new galleries in 2016.

Use these seven yoga based poses to move, stretch and get energised, inspired by our collections. You can do each one on its own or all seven together in a 'yoga flow'.

This display highlights a small selection from our Scottish History & Archaeology collections, showing how research and collecting at National Museums Scotland is reshaping understandings of Scotland in the past, and reflecting the Scotland of today for future generations of museum visitors.

Find out how we care for collections of national and international importance, preserving them, interpreting them and making them accessible to as many people as possible.

Explore the romance and reality of 18th and 19th century Scotland in this one-day course.

Two pieces of tusk in our collection show that some woolly mammoths made their home in Scotland, while another provides early evidence of mammoths in North America.

A 166 million-year-old dinosaur bone identified as the first stegosaur bone to be found in Scotland has been added to our collections after a lucky discovery on the Isle of Eigg by Dr Elsa Panciroli.

Discover how brass and copper once featured as mediums of exchange, status and power in Africa through highlights of the museum’s 19th and early 20th century collections from west and central Africa.

Discover how objects in the museum’s collections can help us explore Scotland’s involvement in the Atlantic slave trade and the abolitionist movement.

Between 1925 and 1935 a fascinating collection of objects and glass lantern slides were donated to the Museum from Sri Lanka.

Professor Matthew Forster Heddle (1828-1897) was Scotland's most famous mineralogist. At National Museums Scotland, we look after 5,700 specimens from his collection.

Explore the museum collections and historic airfield with our family trails.

Explore stories, films, games and resources from the museums’ collections.

Discover the life of the National Bard through the collections of National Museums Scotland.

Bring the Curriculum for Excellence to life with the help of the national collections.

In 2018, the internationally renowned metalsmith Simone ten Hompel was commissioned by National Museums Scotland and The Glenmorangie Company to create a new artwork inspired by our curatorial research and the Museum’s collection of metal artefacts from early medieval Scotland.

Explore stories about Black history and culture, from colonial legacies to contemporary fashion, and hear Black perspectives on aspects of the Collections.

The Roman army was drawn from many corners of the vast Roman Empire

Forts were not just military bases, they became the heart of communities

See five highlight objects that summarise the legacy of Rome's invasions of Scotland

Our mission is to preserve, interpret and make accessible for all, the past and present of Scotland, other nations and cultures, and the natural world.

Whether you enjoy regular visits to our museums, have fond memories of a childhood spent exploring Scotland’s collections or are simply passionate about the power of museums to inspire, a gift in your will, no matter how small or large, will help to preserve Scotland's national collections for generations to come.

Contemporary collecting has been core to the development of the National Collections over the last two centuries.

We provide expert advice on collections, their identification, care and management. We also offer wider skills training to museums in Scotland.

Our Modern and Contemporary Design collections comprise over 35,000 objects dating from c.1850 to the present.