(230) Cyrus Cylinder In 2005, the British Museum hosted an exhibition, The Forgotten Empire, which outlined the history and art of the Persian Empire. As a result of the success of The Forgotten Empire, the Ancient Iran Gallery (Gallery 52) was extensively refurbished and became the Rahim Irvani Gallery in 2007. Iran was at the centre of one of the largest empires in the history of the world. Displays in the gallery show the development of metallurgy, architecture and political power from the ancient period through to the era of the great Persian empires. The Achaemenid, Parthian and Sasanian empires are given historical context through such objects as the Cyrus cylinder as well as gold, silver, coins and seals, ceramics and jewellery. A multi-media reconstruction of the palace at Persepolis and monumental plaster casts are on display as well as artefacts that recall the Zoroastrian religion of imperial Iran.
Alexandra Magoub studied Classics and obtained a doctorate in Parthian numismatics in 2018. In 2012–13 and 2017–18, she was Project Curator for the international Parthian Coin Project in the British Museum’s Coins and Medals Department. She is currently a research assistant with a focus on Iran in the Asian Department at the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Details:
Meet in the Iran Gallery (Room 52) to start promptly at 4pm. Please note that it can take some time to get through security. We will spend around an hour in the Gallery and hope you will join us afterwards at Truckles wine bar on Blury Pl (WC1A 2JR) for coffee/tea/glass of wine and conversation
Please note, there are a limited number of spaces for this event. Registration is required.
To register, please email:bips@britac.ac.uk.
If you wish to attend and are not currently a member, you can sign up for membership here.
Our next event will be a guided tour of the forthcoming exhibition, also at the British Museum: Rivalling Rome: Parthian Coins and culture curated by Vesta Sarkhosh Curtis.
We hope to organise at least three such tours a year and welcome any suggestions you may have. The tours will be organised by us and free of charge. Refreshments and travel are not covered by BIPS.