A History of the World in 100 Objects

Imagine holding a two-million-year-old stone tool or gazing at a credit card-sized piece of gold. What stories could these objects tell if they could speak? In the acclaimed A History of the World in 100 Objects, former Director of the British Museum Neil MacGregor gives them a voice. This BBC Radio 4 series isn't a dry chronology of dates and battles. Instead, it weaves a sprawling, interconnected human story from the things we have crafted, cherished, and left behind. Each episode focuses on a single artifact, from an ancient Egyptian mummy case to a solar-powered lamp, using it as a starting point to explore entire civilizations, cultural shifts, and moments of profound change. You'll hear how a humble pot can illuminate the dawn of agriculture, or how a piece of porcelain can trace the complex routes of global trade. MacGregor’s thoughtful narration, alongside insights from experts around the globe, builds a tangible connection to the past that feels both intimate and grand in scale. This podcast transforms museum pieces from silent exhibits into active witnesses of our shared history, reminding us that every object, no matter how simple or ornate, is a fragment of a much larger narrative about ingenuity, belief, and survival. It’s a journey across time and continents, all from the unique perspective of the items humanity has made.