BRITISH MUSEUM CRYSTAL SKULL

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The British Museum Crystal Skull ( "BM skull") has had an interesting history. It was originally thought to be of Aztec origin, and was called the "Aztec Skull" until recently. In the 1990's, the British Museum decided to run a series of tests on their crystal skull at the British Museum's research laboratory in London. They also invited other crystal skulls to participate in these tests, including Max, ShaNaRa and the Smithsonian Crystal Skull.

After detailed examination, they found traces of wheel markings on the British Museum Crystal Skull and on the Smithsonian Crystal Skull. This indicated that these two skulls had been carved using an apparatus like a jeweller's wheel, which was created in Europe in the 14th Century and brought to the Americas with the Europeans after 1492. Because of this, the researchers concluded that the British Museum Crystal Skull and the Smithsonian Crystal Skull could not have been pre-columbian, and therefore reclassified them as "old" rather than "ancient". However, for some unknown reason, the researchers refused to share the test results for Max and ShaNaRa, leaving their origins a mystery.

What we do know for sure is that the British Museum acquired the crystal skull from Tiffany's in 1897, and that the crystal skull was exhibited for many years in the Museum of Mankind in Piccadilly (which housed the British Museum’s Ethnographic collection). It is currently on permanent display at the British Museum in the Wellcome Trust Gallery (Room 24) which specializes in a "Living and Dying" exhibition described as follows:

"People throughout the world deal with the tough realities of life in many different ways. The displays in Room 24 explore different approaches to our shared challenges as human beings, focusing on how diverse cultures seek to maintain health and well-being. The displays consider different approaches to averting illness, danger and trouble, and investigate people's reliance on relationships - with each other, the animal kingdom, spiritual powers, spirits and the world around us."

Check out this Visting Guide to British Museum Skull

British Museum
Size: 12.02 lbs / 5.45 kgs
Stone: Clear Quartz
Origin: Aztec / Europe
"Aztec Skull " Reclassified from ancient to "old" after tool marks were found.
Official Website for "BM"
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