Because museums are closed, for the time being, institutions have taken to online platforms to engage audiences and highlight their collections.
England’s Yorkshire Museum started a fun trend online since the shutdown began called “Curator Battles” where its staff calls on other museums to share the coolest artifacts in their collections.
And it’s really a lot of fun!
Let’s take a look at these fascinating historical artifacts.
1. Beat that!
That’s pretty impressive.
IT’S THE #CURATORBATTLE GRAND FINALE! 💥
⭐️ Today’s theme is #StarObject! ⭐️
Our star is the York Helmet. This 8th century object is the most finely constructed and complete Anglo-Saxon helmet in all of Europe! It was a status symbol worn by Northumbrian royalty!
BEAT THAT!💥 pic.twitter.com/gfVfiEQViR
— Yorkshire Museum (@YorkshireMuseum) July 24, 2020
2. Creepiness from Ireland.
Be careful during Samhain…
#CURATORBATTLE #StarObject#Irishcustom Carved turnips were popular for turning into scary lanterns for walking with or placing in windowsills during #Halloween #Samhain
BEAT THAT!#Irishtradition #Ireland pic.twitter.com/B34cTgI7yV
— National Museum of Ireland (@NMIreland) August 11, 2020
3. Wow! Crazy!
Still scaring people after all these years.
The #Starobject of Hvar Heritage Museum in the town of Hvar, on the island of Hvar in Croatia, is The Beast – figurehead from the bow of a Hvar communal war galley in battle of Lepanto against Turks in 1571. It used to scare enemies, now it scares little children! pic.twitter.com/YcpGz8sw4L
— Katija Borak (@anastazijabo) July 24, 2020
4. Very iconic.
And very popular, apparently!
Ladies and gentlemen, let us present to you the one and only JAR OF MOLES. So iconic it does its own interviews and gets its own fan mail. https://t.co/3780yPyvG0#CURATORBATTLE #StarObject pic.twitter.com/oTi9iHWRgE
— Grant Museum of Zoology (@GrantMuseum) July 24, 2020
5. Celtic coins.
What a find!
?Our entry for today’s #CURATORBATTLE #StarObject is ‘The Kimbolton Coin Hoard’! ? 67 Celtic coins, which are roughly 2,000yrs old (50BC–40AD) Made of an alloy of gold, silver & copper, the images on the coins represent stylised horses – an important animal to the Celts. ? pic.twitter.com/cB1FZmDLkz
— St Neots Museum (@StNeotsMuseum) July 24, 2020
6. How unique!
I’m glad these were saved.
Dr Kirk, the creator of our museum saved shop fronts from business in #Yorkshire to create Kirkgate!
This building dates to around 1640. In 1937, the building was dismantled to build a Woolworths. It was then that Dr Kirk took the parts to put in the museum! pic.twitter.com/E7yMFGoipC
— York Castle Museum (@YorkCastle) July 24, 2020
7. The Holy Grail.
From the one and only.
One of the most important books in the history of English Literature. Actually, not just the one. All four. That’s right, we have the holy grail of book collecting. All four of Shakespeare’s Folios. #sorrynotsorry for bringing out the big guns ?♀️#CURATORBATTLE #StarObject pic.twitter.com/NPORRq1z87
— Leeds Lib Galleries (@LULGalleries) July 24, 2020
8. A piece of history.
From all the way back in 1872.
⭐️It may not look much but this ballot box is an important part of the history of British democracy. It was used in the 1872 #Pontefract by-election, the first time a UK MP was elected by secret ballot, the voting method we still use today. #StarObject #CURATORBATTLE⭐️ pic.twitter.com/spUWYcDUaI
— Wakefield Museums & Castles (@WFMuseums) July 24, 2020
9. The mummy.
Thousands of years old.
The @GarstangMuseum #StarObject is the mummy which dates to around 1000BC.
He’s been a bit starved of offerings recently – with no visitors to read the offering formula displayed alongside him! ?? #CuratorBattle?
Read more:
*TW – close up pictures*https://t.co/Jq95Qa1WVl pic.twitter.com/oFvLBkDGqi
— Victoria Gallery & Museum (@VictoriaGallery) July 24, 2020
10. From Roman times.
A soldier from Britain.
We’re going with the tombstone of centurion, Marcus Favonius Facilis, aka the earliest recorded #Roman solider from Britain. He wasn’t long in the ground before Boudica’s rebellion. pic.twitter.com/Ws3JXMPPCG
— Colchester Museums (@ColMuseums) July 24, 2020
11. Very interesting.
Papier-mâché for the win!
The Lentell Map–a visitor favorite at the Clarke– is made of papiermache. This 14-foot tall, 7 feet 10-inch-wide map of Humboldt County was housed at the Humboldt County exhibit during the Panama Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco. pic.twitter.com/UN96Jd7toL
— Clarke Historical Museum (@ClarkeMuseum) July 24, 2020
12. That is awesome.
I’d love to have this.
It might not look like much. But this first edition of Dracula by Bram Stoker (1897) is the #StarObject of our Merril Collection of Science Fiction, Speculation & Fantasy! Full book: https://t.co/8m3YWBREKh pic.twitter.com/FabTmdEkR5
— Toronto Public Library (@torontolibrary) July 24, 2020
13. I’d wear these.
How about you?
Step inside of these sweet Buckskin Moccasins, circa 1850s! #FabulousFootwear #CURATORBATTLE pic.twitter.com/jFWqwpSj9t
— NCmuseumhistory (@NCmuseumhistory) May 22, 2020
Which one is your favorite?
Talk to us in the comments!
And tell us some other cool museums we can check out online.