The Ashmolean Museum was named after its founder Elias Ashmole (1617–1692) and opened in 1683. It is widely recognised as being the first modern museum.
Elias Ashmole was a royalist, lawyer, antiquarian, scholar, and collector who gave his collections to the University of Oxford in 1677.
In our Ashmolean Story gallery you can discover more about Elias Ashmole and his new museum. You can also find out about his collections, which included the Tradescant family’s ‘Rarities’.
