The Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford (must see)

After you're done exploring the Museum of Natural History, make sure to check out the Pitt-Rivers Museum, accessible through the Natural History Museum itself. This exceptional museum boasts one of the world's finest collections in archaeology and anthropology. It started with a donation of 20,000 items from Lieutenant General Pitt-Rivers, with the condition that the University offer courses in archaeology and anthropology. The museum staff also serve as educators in these disciplines.

The museum's collection has expanded to over 500,000 artifacts, displayed across three levels adorned with wrought iron balconies. These artifacts, primarily gifts from travelers and missionaries, encompass a range of handcrafted items from ancient societies.

One unique aspect of this museum is its organization. Instead of a chronological arrangement, items are displayed by their function, in wooden and glass cases. This approach, conceived by Pitt-Rivers, is particularly effective in illustrating the progression of design and cultural practices.

Visitors can observe a variety of exhibits, such as canoes of varying complexity hanging from the ceiling, agricultural and trepanning tools (the latter underscoring the advancements in modern medicine), along with other medical instruments and objects related to witchcraft, like a preserved slug believed to cure warts.

The museum also features some quirky displays, like an antique Chinese opium pipe juxtaposed with a contemporary “bong” crafted from a Coca-Cola bottle, used for smoking marijuana. This latter item was a recent addition, donated by students.