The Great Auk (Pinguinus impennis) was a flightless seabird which became globally extinct in the 19th Century as a result of human hunting. Its remains have been found in a number of Gibraltar’s caves, the most recent dating to around 7,500 years ago.
Glass Fire Grenades
Glass fire grenades used for extinguishing fires in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Part of the social history collection.
Islamic Lamp
Ceramic lamp from the medieval Islamic period, found at sea in Gibraltar. The museum houses many artefacts from archaeological excavations which it has been conducting in urban Gibraltar since 1996.
Waterport Postcard
Early 20th Century postcard of Gibraltar depicting Waterport. This is part of a large collection of photographs and postcards in the museum collection. The image shows “GIBRALTAR: Arriving from Algeciras”, the approach after reaching the Rock from the ferry which took commuters between Gibraltar and Algeciras, Spain.
GBC TV Studio Camera
Early Gibraltar Broadcasting Corporation television studio camera from the 1960s. This is part of a collection of 19th and 20th Century social history and represents a critical period leading up to the closure of the frontier with Spain by General Franco.
Karozzin
Horse-drawn carriage, of Maltese tradition, which was used as a mode of transport in the 19th and 20th centuries in Gibraltar. It is known as a Karozzin in Malta.
Glass Amphoriskos
This small blue and yellow glass amphoriskos was brought to Gibraltar by ancient Carthaginian mariners and left in Gorham’s Cave as an offering for safe passage beyond the Pillars of Herakles. It has been traced to the island of Rhodes (5th century BCE) and has become a symbol for the Gibraltar National Museum.
Solutrean Flint Arrowhead
Solutrean arrowhead made in flint. This artefact, from the upper levels of Gorham’s Cave, dates to around 20,000 years ago and was made by the earliest modern humans to arrive in Gibraltar.
Spotted Hyaena Mandible
Mandible of a Spotted Hyaena (Crocuta crocuta) from Late Pleistocene (around 50,000 years ago) deposits at Gorham’s Cave. Now considered an African species, the Spotted Hyaena was common in Gibraltar at the time of the Neanderthals.
Bronze Age Ceramic Vessel
Bronze Age (around 4,000 years ago) ceramic vessel found in Bray's Cave associated with a human burial. The Bronze Age in Gibraltar represents the latter part of prehistory, just prior to contact with Phoenician mariners from the Eastern Mediterranean.
Samurai Head Dress
Part of a magnificent Samurai dress presented to the Gibraltar National Museum after the Second World War. The museum’s collections are a composite of Gibraltar material (in the main) and material from outside. The latter, of which this dress is an excellent example, were brought in by military or civilians posted to the Rock.
Non-magnetic Diver's Knife
This 20th century non-magnetic diver's knife was found near HMT Stella Sirius. This type of knife was issued to mine-clearance divers during World War II, one of whom lost it whilst dispersing the remains of the Stella Sirius. It was found on the wreck by a member of the museum's Underwater Research Unit in 2003 and despite having been underwater for more than 60 years, still had its coating of non-reflective black paint.
