Corrosive Curation

It is impossible to identify the first museum. Archeologists have found evidence of sites dating back to c. 530 B.C.E containing artefacts from early Mesopotamian Civilisations. In Britain, early museums often restricted their access to wealthy patrons and educated elites. However, in 1677 Elias Ashmole donated his private collection to the University of Oxford, and in 1678 the Ashmolean Museum was born. The building is widely regarded to be the first truly public modern museum. The project represented a great national achievement — the true democratisation of history. And yet today, the Ashmolean apologises for the “Eurocentrism and lack of diversity in our institution … and accept our responsibility to challenge and change colonial mindsets.”