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Illustrating Egyptian excavations: Annie Pirie Quibell

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.

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In Conversation: Inspiring Walter Scott

Join our curators to explore the fascinating objects that inspired Sir Walter Scott and the celebrated novels in which they feature.

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Gold weights from Ghana

These small objects were essential tools for trade in West Africa until the end of the 19th century.

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Dr Evelyn Baxter and Miss Leonora Rintoul

Meet 'the good ladies' of bird collecting, two pioneering ornithologists whose work is still influential today.

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Africa, Americas and Oceania

Our African, Americas and Oceanic collections of over 25,000 objects represent historic and contemporary textiles, musical instruments, pottery, weapons, jewellery, basketry and contemporary art.

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JG Williams collection

The Natural Sciences department houses more than 2,000 shells, insects, bird skins and bats from the collections of the legendary naturalist John George Williams.

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Doug Allan stands in pink jacket with camera on tripod.
Behind the Lens: Doug Allan

Join 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.

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Young children are sat cross-legged on the floor with their parents, looking up at something beyond the camera in awe.
Edinburgh International Children's Festival: Family Encounters Day

Join 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.

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An illustration of a young girl with butterfly wings floating away on a dandelion
Slow Down Sunday for Families

Join author and mindfulness teacher Natasha Iregbu as she invites families to practice mindfulness in a fun and enjoyable way.

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Decorative Treble Clef in green sits on illustration
Concert for a Summer's Night

Join us for an evening of bright and vivid music from the Scottish Ensemble in the light-filled setting of the Grand Gallery.

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Ballachulish figure

Fertility figure or Iron Age goddess of the straits? This carved sculpture of a female dates from around 600 BC, but its origins remain unknown.

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Crozier and Coigreach of St Fillan

This 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.

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Two visitors looking at a series of Japanese prints on a wall.
来館案内

スコットランド国立博物館来館案内

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Victorian photographic techniques

Discover how Victorian inventors and entrepreneurs succeeded in capturing the very first images.

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Chains tapestry

Huge 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.

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Two children looking at three different sizes of cat skulls
Préparez votre visite

Préparez votre visite du Musée national d'Écosse.

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The Circular Economy

Discover more about the Circular Economy through the Making Circles schools project, led by Ostrero.

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Torrs pony cap

This unique decorated Iron Age cap would have adorned a highly prized pony.

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Eight yellowish-grey arrow heads arranged in a crescent pattern against a black background with their points facing outward.
Culduthel Mains burial assemblage

In 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.

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Meissen lion

The Meissen lion is part of the animal menagerie commissioned by Augustus II the Strong in the early 18th century.

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West, South and Southeast Asia

Our 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.

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A two-coloured mason bee in mid flight, carrying a piece of straw to add to its a growing pile.
Audio-Described Access Evening: Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Explore Wildlife Photographer of the Year with an audio-described tour for those who are blind, partially sighted or visually impaired.

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Anklet of gilded copper pellet bells, threaded onto string.
Ghungroo dance anklets

Indian dance traditions bringing back childhood memories

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Figure of a Surasundari or divine beauty, wearing elaborate jewellery and with dressed hair, carved sandstone.
Surasundari stone sculpture

Surasundari and the stone-carving tradition in India

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Napier's bones

Napier’s ‘bones’ or ‘rods’ are just one of the methods invented by the Edinburgh-born Renaissance scholar John Napier to speed up calculations.

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Ancient Mediterranean collections

Our Ancient Mediterranean archaeological collections consist of over 12,000 objects from across northern Africa, southern Europe, and western Asia.

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Drinking fountain with intricate details cast in green and gold colours.
Drinking fountain inspired by India

How South Asian art and design captured Victorian Britain's imagination

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Illustrated poster with cells of images containing scenes of death and scenes of punishment.
Yama the Hindu Lord of Death

Yama and the sinner's punishment in Death's palace

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Plaque on a stone wall with deeply cut lines reading 'Alexander Graham Bell Inventor of the telephone Born here 3rd March 1847'.
Alexander Graham Bell's box telephone

This 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’?

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Scotland’s Fabulous Geology

Natural Sciences staff have been participating in this year's Scottish Geology Festival.

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Front half of a Scottish wildcat snarling at something in a grassy area.
Scottish wildcat

Rarer 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.

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Newbridge chariot reconstruction

This 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.

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Lulu the killer whale

Lulu 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.

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Jacobite heroine: Snuffbox associated with Flora MacDonald

Flora MacDonald famously helped Bonnie Prince Charlie escape. This snuffbox, an heirloom of her clan, links the romantic pair.

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Slides: Micro-worlds in a box

As microscopes became increasingly popular, so did companies that specialized in slide preparation.

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Gold-wrapped jar laid on its side with the base facing forward. Gold thread forms letters around its edge.
The Galloway Hoard rock crystal jar

A unique jar of rock crystal and gold from the Galloway Hoard with a fascinating history – and an intriguing name on it.

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Triumph of Prudence tapestry

Hung 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.

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James VI and I

James 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.

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The Eglinton tournament: the quest for authenticity

In 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.

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Who was Phoebe Anna Traquair?

The first important professional woman artist of modern Scotland, Phoebe Anna Traquair was a leading figure within the Scottish Arts and Crafts movement.

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The Ann Paludan image library of historical Chinese sculptures

The 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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