The Museum of London, which is distributed over three London locations, is the largest urban history museum in the world. This piece of information, given to us in a lecture by the Senior Curator of Prehistory, gives a glimpse into the importance of this museum's work. I found the lecture to be particularly rewarding because the curator was able to give us some insight into how to deliver a quality service to those who are looking for something else. He explained to us that the majority of the museum's visitors are interested in either the Victorians, the Tudors and Stuarts, or Roman London. As Curator of Prehistory, this left him with some interesting and unique challenges. These challenges were met head on when the new galleries were designed five years ago. The focus was shifted from objects to people, and this changed focus was at the center of the dialogue with the designers. The four messages that the prehistory gallery aims to communicate are climate, the river, people, and legacy. They attempt to do this through a variety of text-light displays anchored by what our lecturer called "The River Wall." This approach helps guide people through the prehistory of London, making them aware of what life was like for London's ancestors while keeping them constantly aware of the importance of the Thames.
The Thames is still vital today for understanding London. It is home to 122 specis of fish, and is the cleanest urban river in Europe. It has been considered a sacred river in the past; the prehistory displays show a great many items given to the river as offerings, and seems to still play a role in lives of faith today. Our lecturer explained to us that items found in the river are still brought to the museum for explanations or valuation. It seems that a Hindu group in London, without the knowledge or involvement of local temples, has been making offerings of small statues to the Thames. The museum has been given permission by the temples and Hindu community to continue investigating this phenomenon, and it helps to underscore the continuing importance of the river to the residents of London.One of the most fascinating items on display in the gallery for prehistory is a plaster cast taken from a clay container. The cast shows, quite clearly, the impression of a fingertip pressed into wet clay while decorating the jug. It's a small, slender fingertip with a long, manicured nail. Nothing else in the collection brought home so clearly the fact that these artifacts were crafted and used by individuals with their own life stories. That one object was, I believe the most effective in communicating the message of the importance of people in prehistoric London. Very close to it in effectiveness, however, was the facial reconstruction of a woman who lived in London between 5100 to 5640 years ago. Having a science-based representation of an actual human being was very powerful. Another interesting item, pointed out by the prehistory curator, was a human skull of an individual who had undergone, and survived, trepanning. This was a medical procedure where a hole was cut into the skull to relieve pressure. It seems a very advanced procedure for a society without the benefits of modern medicine!
The Museum of London was undergoing renovations at the time of our visit, so we were unable to view all of the exhibits. Still, the exhibits for the Great Fire of London, Roman London, and Medieval London were quite interesting enough to make the visit more than worthwhile. The available exhibits, and the fact of the remodel, helps to underscore what the senior curator of prehistory called the purpose of the museum: providing access. Providing access to its collections, its information, and to the very history of London itself.
