Being Human at the British Museum

Ever dreamt of finding lost treasure? We’ve all daydreamed about finding a hoard buried in the garden, a priceless heirloom in the attic, stumbling across the map that takes us to a lost city. Most of us can only dream but for some the world of shipwrecks, treasure troves and archaeological excavations is all in a day’s work.

Our 2017 Being Human festival theme is ‘lost and found’. What better way is there to introduce that theme than an event exploring 20 years of treasure discoveries? As a preview of our Being Human 2017 programme, we are delighted to announce a special event organised in collaboration with the British Museum.

Marking twenty years since the commencement of the Treasures Act in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and tying in with the British Museum’s ‘Treasure 20’ series, Lost & found: 20 years of treasure discoveries in England, Northern Ireland & Wales will explore some of the best finds amongst 20 years of treasure discoveries from across the UK. Chaired by Being Human director Professor Sarah Churchwell, a panel of curators from the British Museum will dig deep into 20 years of 'lost and found' treasures to debate the best discovery of the past two decades.

They ask who owns these treasures, how do we care for them, and what do they tell us about different regions' histories, as well as our own? Participants in the 'treasures smackdown' include Michael Lewis, Sam Moorhead and Ian Richardson from the Museum's Department of Portable Antiquities and Treasure, as well as Julia Farley, Curator of European Iron Age Collections, and Neil Wilkin, Curator of British and European Bronze Age collections.