National Museums Scotland is collecting history as it happens. Our new film series, Collecting the Present, explores objects we have collected recently that document cultural, political and social change in Scotland.

Discover what this historic tool can tell us about the story of machinery and industry in Scotland.

St Andrew is Scotland's patron saint and his Saltire (X-shaped) cross is Scotland's flag. Discover more about how he has been represented through the centuries.

A 10th-century hoard found on the Isle of Skye contained 19 dirhams, silver coins from the Islamic emirates of central Asia. These were not exotic curiosities collected by a Viking traveller, but evidence of trade routes connecting Scotland across vast distances at the turn of the first millennium.

Tamworth pigs are well suited to the Scottish climate and are one of the oldest surviving pig breeds.

One of Britains's most distinctive, and best-known breeds, with a long, thick, flowing coat of rich hair and majestic sweeping horns, the Highland cattle have remained largely unchanged over the centuries.

Home to over 90,000 species, Scotland’s land, seas and skies support a wide range of native mammals and birds, amphibians, reptiles and over 50,000 different invertebrates. The collection at National Museums Scotland has examples of some of the iconic, at risk and once extinct birds and mammals native to Scotland.

This iconic Red Arrows Hawk T.1A was flown by the Royal Air Force (RAF) Aerobatic Team, the Red Arrows.

How can a vase reflect the experience of living between two cultures? This beautiful vase created by South Korean, Edinburgh-based artist Choi Keeryong, expresses this sense of 'inbetween-ness'.

This fascinating collection of scale models provides an invaluable source of information on life in 19th century India.

Explore Wildlife Photographer of the Year with a BSL tour for those who are Deaf/BSL users.

Спланируйте свое посещение Национального музея Шотландии.

The Hilton of Cadboll stone was carved around AD 800 in northern Scotland, then a heartland of the Picts.

Finely decorated household items of solid silver were a status symbol under the Pahlavi dynasty.

These simple-looking glasses hold a secret power: they allow people with red-green colour blindness to experience colours which they would normally be unable to see.

The unicorn is first mentioned in a long lost book about India about 400 BC and eventually is adopted as Scotland's national animal in the 15th century and can now be seen everywhere.

The de Havilland Comet was the world's first commercial passenger jet aircraft.

Aberdeen-born Annie Pirie was one of the first women in the United Kingdom to study Egyptology. Discover how this trained artist and pioneering archaeologist has left a lasting legacy.

Join our curators to explore the fascinating objects that inspired Sir Walter Scott and the celebrated novels in which they feature.

Meet 'the good ladies' of bird collecting, two pioneering ornithologists whose work is still influential today.

Our African, Americas and Oceanic collections of over 25,000 objects represent historic and contemporary textiles, musical instruments, pottery, weapons, jewellery, basketry and contemporary art.

Is it possible to infer the agility or manoeuvrability of a fossil animal from the shape of its labyrinth?

The Natural Sciences department houses more than 2,000 shells, insects, bird skins and bats from the collections of the legendary naturalist John George Williams.

Exciting, hands-on sessions for curious ASN families.

Join Doug Allan as he shares personal insights from his 40-year career at the frontiers of climate breakdown as a photographer, filmmaker, diver and author.

Join us as we kick off the 2024 Edinburgh International Children’s Festival with a day of free pop-up performances and activities for the whole family.

Join author and mindfulness teacher Natasha Iregbu as she invites families to practice mindfulness in a fun and enjoyable way.

Join us for a relaxed Magic Carpet session as we explore the museum through interactive songs, rhymes and sensory play.

Join us for an evening of bright and vivid music from the Scottish Ensemble in the light-filled setting of the Grand Gallery.

Fertility figure or Iron Age goddess of the straits? This carved sculpture of a female dates from around 600 BC, but its origins remain unknown.

This beautiful medieval bishop’s crook and silver-gilt case, or Coigreach, are associated with St Fillan of Perthshire, and are among our most important medieval church artefacts.

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Discover how Victorian inventors and entrepreneurs succeeded in capturing the very first images.

Discover more about the Circular Economy through the Making Circles schools project, led by Ostrero.

This unique decorated Iron Age cap would have adorned a highly prized pony.

In 1975, a Bronze Age burial was found in Inverness-shire. Interpreted as an archer, this man and his objects reveal fascinating stories about connections across Britain and Ireland.

The Meissen lion is part of the animal menagerie commissioned by Augustus II the Strong in the early 18th century.

Our West, South and Southeast Asian collections contain more than 17,000 objects, giving insight into the lives of past and present people across a vast geographical area.