1. Making Us Human (2,000,000 – 9000 BC)
1.1/5 Mummy of Hornedjitef
Neil MacGregor retells humanity’s history through the objects it has made.
1.2/5 Olduvai Stone Chopping Tool
Every object has a story; Neil MacGregor continues his material history of human society.
1.3/5 Olduvai Handaxe
Neil MacGregor continues his history of human society with the story of a handaxe.
1.4/5 Swimming Reindeer
Neil MacGregor investigates how humanity’s development is reflected in the things it makes.
1.5/5 Clovis Spear Point
Neil MacGregor reveals how man-made objects reflect the story of human development.
2. After the Ice Age: Food and Sex (9000 – 3500 BC)
2.1/5 Bird-shaped Pestle
Neil MacGregor reveals how man-made objects reflect the story of human development
2.2/5 Ain Sakri Lovers Figuerine
Neil MacGregor’s material history of human society – the story of two lovers
2.3/5 Egyptian Clay Model of Cattle
Neil MacGregor tells the colourful tale of four Egyptian clay cows older than the pyramids
2.4/5 Maya Maize God Statue
Neil MacGregor discovers how the early Mayans of Central America created a god out of food
2.5/5 Jomon Pot
Neil MacGregor tells the story of a 7,000-year-old Japanese pot and a forgotten people
3. The First Cities and States (4000 – 2000 BC)
3.1/5 King Den’s Sandal Label
Neil MacGregor’s world history told through objects. Today, a great Pharaoh’s sandal label
3.2/5 Standard of Ur
Neil MacGregor’s global history told through objects. Today, battle scenes from Iraq.
3.3/5 Indus Seal
Neil MacGregor’s global history told through objects – stone seals from the Indus Valley.
3.4/5 Jade Axe
Neil MacGregor’s global history told through objects – a 6,000-year-old axe found in Kent.
3.5/5 Early Writing
Neil MacGregor explores early writing through a 5,000-year-old tablet about beer!
4. The Beginning of Science and Literature (1500 – 700 BC)
4.1/5 Flood tablet
Neil MacGregor’s world history – an account of a great flood much older than the Bible.
4.2/5 Rhind Mathematical Papyrus
Neil MacGregor describes man’s early calculations on an Egyptian papyrus fragment
4.3/5 Minoan Bull Leaper
Neil MacGregor’s history arrives at a Minoan treasure and a dangerous hobby from 1700 BC
4.4/5 Mold Gold Cape
Neil MacGregor tells the story of a gold cape found in Wales and made over 3500 years ago.
4.5/5 Statue of Ramesses
The world of Egypt as ruled by Ramesses II and told through one of his giant statues
5. Old World, New Powers (1100 – 300 BC)
5.1/5 Lachish Reliefs
Neil MacGregor’s world history continues with images of war made over 2500 years ago
5.2/5 Sphinx of Taharqo
Neil MacGregor’s history of the world told through objects; a sphinx with a pharaoh’s head
5.3/5 Chinese Zhou Ritual Vessel
Neil MacGregor’s world history told through objects arrives in China 3000 years ago
5.4/5 Paracas Textile Fragment
Neil MacGregor’s world history through objects. Today: ancient textiles from Peru
5.5/5 Gold Coin of Croesus
Neil MacGregor’s retelling of history through objects – gold coins of Croesus
6. The World in the Age of Confucius (500 – 300 BC)
6.1/5 Oxus Chariot Model
Neil MacGregor tells the story of a tiny gold chariot from ancient Persia.
6.2/5 Parthenon Sculpture: Centaur + Lapith
Neil MacGregor with some of the world’s most disputed objects – the Parthenon sculptures
6.3/5 Basse Yutz Flagons
Neil MacGregor continues his material history of humanity, with the early Celts.
6.4/5 Olmec Stone Mask
Neil MacGregor’s history of the world tells of a forgotten people of ancient Mexico.
6.5/5 Chinese Bronze Bell
Neil Macgregor tells the story of a Chinese bronze bell from the age of Confucius
7. Empire Builders (300 BC – AD 10)
7.1/5 Head of Alexander
Neil MacGregor is with the great rulers of the world over 2000 years ago.
7.2/5 Pillar of Ashoka
Neil MacGregor on the life and legacy of the great Indian ruler Ashoka
7.3/5 Rosetta Stone
Neil MacGregor with one of the past’s most recognisable objects; the Rosetta Stone
7.4/5 Chinese Han lacquer cup
Neil MacGregor’s world history told through objects arrives in Han Dynasty China
7.5/5 Head of Augustus
The 2000 year old bronze head of one of the world’s most famous rulers – Caesar Augustus
8. Ancient Pleasures, Modern Spice (1 – 600 AD)
8.1/5 Warren Cup
Neil MacGregor and a Roman silver cup with the power to shock.
8.2/5 North American otter pipe
Neil MacGregor and a 2,000-year-old stone pipe from North America.
8.3/5 Ceremonial ballgame belt
Neil MacGregor discovers the oldest ball game on earth.
8.4/5 Admonitions Scroll
Neil MacGregor and an ancient Chinese scroll that rules on how women should behave.
8.5/5 Hoxne pepper pot
Neil MacGregor uses a silver pepper pot to tell of the Roman spice trade with India.
9. The Rise of World Faiths (200 – 600 AD)
9.1/5 Seated Buddha from Gandhara
Neil MacGregor with one of world religion’s most iconic images – the Buddha.
9.2/5 Gold coin of Kumaragupta I
Neil MacGregor with gold coins from North India.
9.3/5 Silver plate showing Shapur II
Neil MacGregor, with a dramatic image of power and faith from ancient Iran.
9.4/5 Hinton St Mary Mosaic
Neil MacGregor encounters one of the earliest images of Christ.
9.5/5 Arabian bronze hand
A mysterious bronze hand tells the story of religious belief in Arabia before Islam.
10. The Silk Road And Beyond (400 – 700 AD)
10.1/5 Gold Coins of Abd al-Malik
Neil MacGregor with gold coins from Syria and the transformation of the Middle East.
10.2/5 Sutton Hoo helmet
Neil MacGregor with one of the most sensational finds from Anglo-Saxon Britain.
10.3/5 Moche warrior pot
Neil MacGregor with a warrior figure from a lost people of Peru.
10.4/5 Korean roof tile
Neil MacGregor delves into the history of an artefact from Korea.
10.5/5 Silk princess painting
Neil MacGregor continues his history of the world with a painting from the Silk Road.
11. Inside The Palace: Secrets At Court (700 – 950 AD)
11.1/5 Maya relief of royal blood-letting
Neil Macgregor with a disturbing, bloody image from the ancient Mayan civilisation
11.2/5 Harem wall painting fragments
Neil MacGregor with mysterious faces from the harem in an ancient city north of Baghdad
11.3/5 Lothair Crystal
Neil MacGregor with an engraved crystal and royal intrigue at the heart of Europe
11.4/5 Statue of Tara
Neil MacGregor with a beguiling statue of the Buddhist deity Tara
11.5/5 Chinese Tang tomb figures
Neil MacGregor with a collection of tomb figures from Tang dynasty China
12. Pilgrims, Raiders and Traders (900 – 1300 AD)
12.1/5 Vale of York Hoard
Neil Macgregor with a great Viking hoard from the Vale of York.
12.2/5 Hedwig glass beaker
Neil MacGregor with a glass vessel linked with a saintly miracle worker.
12.3/5 Japanese bronze mirror
Neil MacGregor with a bronze mirror from a sacred pond in Japan.
12.4/5 Borobudur Buddha head
Neil MacGregor with a head of the Buddha from Borobudur.
12.5/5 Kilwa pot sherds
Neil MacGregor – unlocking secrets with broken pots from East Africa.
13. Status Symbols (1200 – 1400 AD)
13.1/5 Lewis Chessmen
Neil Macgregor’s history through objects – today the famous Lewis chessmen.
13.2/5 Hebrew astrolabe
Neil MacGregor with an extraordinary astronomical instrument.
13.3/5 Ife head
Neil MacGregor with a magnificent brass head from the African city of Ife.
13.4/5 The David Vases
Neil MacGregor – and the transformation of ordinary clay into beautiful Chinese porcelain.
13.5/5 Taino ritual seat
Neil MacGregor with a ritual seat from a Caribbean culture that has been destroyed.
14. Meeting The Gods (1200 – 1400 AD)
14.1/5 Holy Thorn Reliquary
Neil MacGregor with a reliquary made for a thorn from Christ’s crown of thorns.
14.2/5 Icon of the Triumph of Orthodoxy
Neil MacGregor with a 14th century icon from the Byzantine Empire.
14.3/5 Shiva and Parvati sculpture
Neil MacGregor with a stone sculpture of the Hindu deity Shiva and his consort Parvati.
14.4/5 Statue of Huastec goddess
Neil MacGregor with the sculpture of a goddess made by the Huastec people of Mexico.
14.5/5 Hoa Hakananai’a Easter Island statue
Neil MacGregor with one of the extraordinary giant figures from Easter Island.
15. The Threshold of the Modern World (1375-1550 AD)
15.1/5 Tughra of Suleiman the Magnificent
Neil Macgregor with the personal monogram of Suleyman the Magnificent.
15.2/5 Ming banknote
Neil MacGregor with a 14th century bank note – from Ming Dynasty China.
15.3/5 Inca gold llama
Neil MacGregor with a model of a llama – the animal behind the Inca Empire.
15.4/5 Jade dragon cup
Neil MacGregor with a jade cup that belonged a great leader of the Timurid Empire.
15.5/5 Durer’s Rhinoceros
Neil MacGregor with Durer’s extraordinary image of a rhino – an animal he had never seen.
16. The First Global Economy (1450 – 1600 AD)
16.1/5 The mechanical galleon
Neil Macgregor with a clockwork galleon designed for a grand dinner table.
16.2/5 Benin plaque – the Oba with Europeans
Neil MacGregor with some of the best examples of African art, the great plaques of Benin.
16.3/5 Double-headed serpent
Neil MacGregor with one of the stars of the British Museum – an Aztec serpent
16.4/5 Kakiemon elephants
Neil MacGregor with porcelain white elephants from Japan.
16.5/5 Pieces of eight
Neil MacGregor with the first truly global money – silver pieces of eight.
17. Tolerance and Intolerance (AD 1550-1700)
17.1/5 Shi’a Religious Parade Standard
Neil Macgregor with a powerful symbol from Shia Iran.
17.2/5 Miniature of a Mughal Prince
Neil MacGregor with a miniature painting from Mughal India.
17.3/5 Shadow Puppet of Bima
Neil MacGregor explores religion and politics in South East Asia through a shadow puppet.
17.4/5 Mexican Codex Map
Neil MacGregor explores the Spanish religious conquest of Mexico with a map.
17.5/5 Reformation Centenary Broadsheet
Neil MacGregor with a souvenir of the 100th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation.
18. Exploration, Exploitation and Enlightenment (AD 1680-1820)
18.1/5 Akan Drum
Neil MacGregor with an African drum taken to America during the slave trade
18.2/5 Hawaiian feather helmet
Neil MacGregor with a feathered helmet given to Captain Cook by Pacific Islanders.
18.3/5 North American Buckskin Map
Neil MacGregor with a buckskin map from North America
18.4/5 Australian Bark Shield
Neil MacGregor with a bark shield brought from Australia by Captain Cook
18.5/5 Jade bi
Neil MacGregor with an object from the 18th-century Chinese Enlightenment – a jade disc
19. Mass Production, Mass Persuasion (1780 – 1914 AD)
19.1/5 Ship’s chronometer from HMS Beagle
Neil MacGregor with a chronometer that accompanied Darwin to South America.
19.2/5 Early Victorian tea set
Neil MacGregor tells the story of the global trade in tea – with a Victorian tea set.
19.3/5 Hokusai’s The Great Wave
Neil MacGregor with a familiar image – Hokusai’s The Great Wave.
19.4/5 Sudanese slit drum
Neil MacGregor with a wooden drum from Sudan that Kitchener presented to Queen Victoria.
19.5/5 Suffragette-defaced penny
Neil MacGregor with a penny coin defaced by suffragettes with the words «Votes for women».
20. The World of Our Making (1914 – 2010 AD)
20.1/5 Russian revolutionary plate
Neil MacGregor nears the end of his world history – with a Russian revolutionary plate.
20.2/5 Hockney’s In the Dull Village
Neil MacGregor considers the state of human rights – with a David Hockney print.
20.3/5 Throne of Weapons
Neil MacGregor with an African throne – made from decommissioned guns.
20.4/5 Credit card
Neil MacGregor with a credit card – one that is compliant with Sharia law.
20.5/5 Solar-powered lamp and charger
Neil MacGregor’s last object in his world history – a solar-powered lamp and charger.