Same-sex desire shown at the British Museum

The British Museum is the first National Public Museum in the world and was founded in 1753. Since the beginning has guaranteed free entrance to all visitors from around the world and today visitors are more than 6 million in a year.

The Museum was originally stablished in 1753 after that Sir Hans Sloane left his collection of more than 71,000 objects to King George II.

During the next years several persons donated large collections including books, manuscripts, antiques, natural specimens and ethnographic material.

The Museum includes different departments that represent places or ages as the Africa, Oceania and the Americas; Ancient Egypt and Sudan; Asia; Coins and Medals; Conservation and Scientific Research; Middle East, Prehistory and Europe and Prints and Drawings.

Inside the Museum the Untold History reveals itself. You can find several representations of gay and lesbian history in different rooms.

At the Greek and Roman Life, you will see the Athenian wine cup and amphora (540-480 BC) that represents sexual relationships from man ancient Greeks;

At the Roman Empire area you will see the busts of Hadrian and Antinous and the Warren Cup, a silver cup with two scenes of a man a young guy having sex;

At the Egyptian area you can find the Stela of Hor and Suty that shows the same-sex desire in ancient Egypt, Hor and Suty were two officials and architects of the temple of Amun and some scholars have suggested they were a male couple;

At the Europe area you will find chocolate cups and saucers of the “Ladies of the Llangollen”, two aristocratic Ireland ladies that left their old lives to live together, they spend 50 years happily together;

Also, at the Africa Area you can find the N’domo mask, used at the initiation ceremony of the Namana people from Mali. The masks represented male, female and androgynous.