Illuminating world cultures
Science at the British Museum
Behind the scenes in the British Museum, scientists use modern methods of chemical analysis to study the objects in the collection.
How old is it?
Scientists can use radiocarbon dating to find the age of anything that was once alive such as bone or charcoal. This was the technique used to discover the age of the skeleton of a man found in a grave in Lincolnshire.
Where does it come from?
Studying wood sections under a microscope has helped scientists to discover the origins of the woods used by Egyptian carpenters to make coffins.
What is it made of?
X-ray diffraction is a very effective technique for studying precious objects because it does not destroy the sample and give results with a specimen the size of a pinhead. Scientists in the museum use this method to identify minerals and other crystalline materials.
X-ray fluorescence helps the experts decide whether or not an object contains enough gold or silver for it to be classified as treasures.
How was it made?
Radiography is one of the techniques which scientists choose when they want to know how things are made. Radiography in the museum is very similar to the use of X-rays in hospitals and dental surgeries.
A study of a twelfth century German plaque illustrates the value of a scanning electron microscope for finding out how things were made.
Submitted by: Andrew Hunt, 23 January 2007
