Ashmolean Museum

What do you get when a 17th-century collection of curiosities becomes a museum? Oxford’s Ashmolean, which opened in 1683 as Britain’s first public museum and the world’s first university museum. What began with a collection of natural specimens and archaeological objects has since grown into a vast journey through human history. More than a million objects now fill its galleries, from Egyptian mummies and Anglo-Saxon treasures to Renaissance paintings, Asian art and contemporary works. Raphael drawings, ancient sculpture and remarkable coins are among the highlights, but the real attraction is the sheer range of cultures and centuries gathered under one roof.