Two million years of history can now be accessed on the British Museum’s new website, Compass. The site provides information on 1,500 of the museum’s artefacts. Each item has links to similar objects, pop-up glossaries for new words and a recommended reading list for further research. Ready-made tours are available including “Mummies and the Afterlife in Ancient Egypt”. The search facility is easy to use whether looking for something specifi or a range of related items. Compass doesn’t offer 3D views of the objects featured, but the detailed descriptions and explantions almost make up for it.

The continuously expanding site can be run with Version 3 browsers and has a text-only version, which works with voice synthesizers. Teacher and pupil resources to use with the site will be available early in the New Year. Take a look at www.thebritishmuseum.ac.ukcompass.