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Aberdeen-born Annie Pirie was one of the first women in the United Kingdom to study Egyptology. Discover how this trained artist and pioneering archaeologist has left a lasting legacy.
ViewJoin our curators to explore the fascinating objects that inspired Sir Walter Scott and the celebrated novels in which they feature.
ViewThese small objects were essential tools for trade in West Africa until the end of the 19th century.
ViewMeet 'the good ladies' of bird collecting, two pioneering ornithologists whose work is still influential today.
ViewOur African, Americas and Oceanic collections of over 25,000 objects represent historic and contemporary textiles, musical instruments, pottery, weapons, jewellery, basketry and contemporary art.
ViewThe Natural Sciences department houses more than 2,000 shells, insects, bird skins and bats from the collections of the legendary naturalist John George Williams.
ViewJoin Doug Allan as he shares personal insights from his 40-year career at the frontiers of climate breakdown as a photographer, filmmaker, diver and author.
ViewJoin us as we kick off the 2024 Edinburgh International Children’s Festival with a day of free pop-up performances and activities for the whole family.
ViewJoin author and mindfulness teacher Natasha Iregbu as she invites families to practice mindfulness in a fun and enjoyable way.
ViewJoin us for an evening of bright and vivid music from the Scottish Ensemble in the light-filled setting of the Grand Gallery.
ViewFertility figure or Iron Age goddess of the straits? This carved sculpture of a female dates from around 600 BC, but its origins remain unknown.
ViewThis beautiful medieval bishop’s crook and silver-gilt case, or Coigreach, are associated with St Fillan of Perthshire, and are among our most important medieval church artefacts.
ViewDiscover how Victorian inventors and entrepreneurs succeeded in capturing the very first images.
ViewHuge chains strike the eye with a comic book grandeur. Yet this is no comic or Pop Art painting but an Archie Brennan tapestry from 1977 entitled Chains.
ViewDiscover more about the Circular Economy through the Making Circles schools project, led by Ostrero.
ViewIn 1975, a Bronze Age burial was found in Inverness-shire. Interpreted as an archer, this man and his objects reveal fascinating stories about connections across Britain and Ireland.
ViewThe Meissen lion is part of the animal menagerie commissioned by Augustus II the Strong in the early 18th century.
ViewOur West, South and Southeast Asian collections contain more than 17,000 objects, giving insight into the lives of past and present people across a vast geographical area.
ViewExplore Wildlife Photographer of the Year with an audio-described tour for those who are blind, partially sighted or visually impaired.
ViewNapier’s ‘bones’ or ‘rods’ are just one of the methods invented by the Edinburgh-born Renaissance scholar John Napier to speed up calculations.
ViewOur Ancient Mediterranean archaeological collections consist of over 12,000 objects from across northern Africa, southern Europe, and western Asia.
ViewHow South Asian art and design captured Victorian Britain's imagination
ViewThis strange-looking device was the first model of telephone to go on sale. But can its creator, Alexander Graham Bell, truly lay claim to the title ‘inventor of the telephone’?
ViewNatural Sciences staff have been participating in this year's Scottish Geology Festival.
ViewRarer than the tiger, the Scottish wildcat is Britain's last native cat species. Find out more about this elusive feline and the efforts being made to ensure it has a future.
ViewThis splendid reconstruction brings to life an Iron Age chariot discovered at Newbridge, near Edinburgh Airport. Chariot burials were very exclusive, and this is the oldest in Britain.
ViewLulu came from the only killer whale pod in the UK and was found dead on Tiree in 2016. She had the highest levels of polychlorinated biphenyls ever recorded from a marine mammal.
ViewFlora MacDonald famously helped Bonnie Prince Charlie escape. This snuffbox, an heirloom of her clan, links the romantic pair.
ViewAs microscopes became increasingly popular, so did companies that specialized in slide preparation.
ViewA unique jar of rock crystal and gold from the Galloway Hoard with a fascinating history – and an intriguing name on it.
ViewHung in Europe’s most noble households, this luxurious tapestry belongs to a Flemish set known as The Triumph of the Seven Virtues. It was woven in Brussels during the early 16th century.
ViewJames VI and I was a hugely significant Stewart king, but has been overshadowed by his notorious relations: his predecessor in Scotland, his mother, Mary, Queen of Scots; in England, his cousin, Elizabeth I; and his successor in both kingdoms, Charles I.
ViewIn August 1839, Lord Eglinton held a mock-medieval tournament at his estate in North Ayrshire, Scotland. The event was hugely popular, and around 100,000 people attended. Step onto the battlefield and discover some of the objects associated with this flamboyant festival here.
ViewThe first important professional woman artist of modern Scotland, Phoebe Anna Traquair was a leading figure within the Scottish Arts and Crafts movement.
ViewThe Ann Paludan Photographic Archive consists of more than 10,000 photographsof historical Chinese sculptures, and represents over thirty years of site visits and research by writer and art historian Ann Paludan (1928–2014).
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