As part of this year’s celebrations to mark the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, one of the most extensive and important exhibitions of world cultural relics is being shown in the Hong Kong Museum of Art until December 2.

The 270 pieces in the exhibition, titled Treasures of the World’s Cultures, cover a period from 2 million years ago right up to the present day and have been collected by the British Museum in London since it was founded in 1753. The show features sculptures, paintings, jewelry, porcelain (瓷器) and stone artefacts from five continents and the diverse cultures of Ancient Egypt, Rome and Greece, as well as defining eras for European, African, American and Asian art.

Some of the highlights in the exhibition are an Egyptian wooden mummy-board “The Unlucky Mummy” from about 945 B.C., a 13th century Egyptian brass astrolabe with silver inlay, a marble Roman statue of Dionysos from the second century, a “Queen’s lyre” which dates back to 2600-2400 B.C. and was found in the Royal Cemetery at Ur, and walrus (海象) ivory chess-pieces made in about 1150-1200 and found in Scotland.

By definition, the Unlucky Mummy is not actually a mummy but a coffin lid or “mummy-board.” It has earned the nickname “unlucky mummy” from the death and misfortune that is said to befall any who come in contact with the lid. The identity of the woman once contained in the coffin is unknown, although from the finery of the lid it is obvious she was of high rank. She lived in 950-900 B.C. and is thought to have been a priestess of Amun. Her corpse was left behind in Egypt.

The British Museum was established with funds raised from a public lottery. The first collection of about 80,000 objects was donated by Sir Hans Sloane, a physician and antiquarian (古文物研究者). There are more than 7 million objects now in its care. Exhibits are displayed in nearly 100 galleries. They are viewed annually by 5 million visitors from all over the world.