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Cover of A History of the World in 100 Objects, the companion book by Neil MacGregor
A History of the World in 100 Objects was a joint project of BBC Radio 4 and the British Museum, comprising a 100-part radio series written and presented by British Museum director Neil MacGregor. In 15-minute presentations broadcast on weekdays on Radio 4,
MacGregor used objects of ancient art, industry, technology and arms,
all of which are in the British Museum's collections, as an introduction
to parts of human history. The series, four years in planning, began on
18 January 2010 and was broadcast over 20 weeks.[1] A book to accompany the series, A History of the World in 100 Objects by Neil MacGregor, was published by Allen Lane on 28 October 2010.[2]
The entire series is also available for download along with an audio
version of the book for purchase. The British Museum won the 2011 Art Fund Prize for its role in hosting the project.
Contents
- 1 Content
- 2 Reception
- 3 Objects
- 3.1 Making us human (2,000,000 – 9,000 BC)
- 3.2 After the Ice Age: food and sex (9,000 – 3,000 BC)
- 3.3 The first cities and states (4,000 – 2,000 BC)
- 3.4 The beginning of science and literature (1500 – 700 BC)
- 3.5 Old world, new powers (1100–300 BC)
- 3.6 The world in the age of Confucius (500–300 BC)
- 3.7 Empire builders (300 BC – AD 1)
- 3.8 Ancient pleasures, modern spice (AD 1 – 600)
- 3.9 The rise of world faiths (AD 200 – 600)
- 3.10 The Silk Road and beyond (AD 400 – 700)
- 3.11 Inside the palace: secrets at court (AD 700 – 950)
- 3.12 Pilgrims, raiders and traders (AD 900 – 1300)
- 3.13 Status symbols (AD 1200–1400)
- 3.14 Meeting the gods (AD 1200–1400)
- 3.15 The threshold of the modern world (AD 1375–1550)
- 3.16 The first global economy (AD 1450–1600)
- 3.17 Tolerance and intolerance (AD 1550–1700)
- 3.18 Exploration, exploitation and enlightenment (AD 1680–1820)
- 3.19 Mass production, mass persuasion (AD 1780–1914)
- 3.20 The world of our making (AD 1914–2010)
- 4 Special edition
- 5 Art Fund Prize
- 6 See also
- 7 References
- 8 External links
Content
Object 68, the Hindu deity couple Shiva and Parvati sculpture with radio series information panel.
The programme series, described as "a landmark project",[3] is billed as 'A history of humanity' told through a hundred objects from all over the world in the British Museum's collection.
In these programmes, I'm travelling back in time, and across the
globe, to see how we humans over 2 million years have shaped our world
and been shaped by it, and I'm going to tell this story exclusively
through the things that humans have made: all sorts of things, carefully
designed, and then either admired and preserved, or used, broken and
thrown away. I've chosen just a hundred objects from different points on
our journey, from a cooking pot to a golden galleon, from a Stone Age
tool to a credit card.[4]
Telling history through things, whether it's an Egyptian mummy or a
credit card, is what museums are for, and because the British Museum has
collected things from all over the globe, it's not a bad place to try
to tell a world history. Of course, it can only be "a" history of the
world, not "the" history. When people come to the museum they choose
their own objects and make their own journey round the world and through
time, but I think what they will find is that their own histories
quickly intersect with everybody elses, and when that happens, you no
longer have a history of a particular people or nation, but a story of
endless connections.[5]
Accompanying the series is a website, described by The Guardian
as "even more ambitious [than the radio series itself] that encourages
users to submit items of their own for a place in world history", along
with much interactive content, detailed information on all the objects
featured in the radio programmes and links to 350 other museum
collections across the UK.[6] The radio programmes will be available on the website permanently for listening or downloading.
The museum has adapted exhibitions for the series by including
additional easily identifiable plaques for the 100 objects with text
based on the programme and adding a section to the gallery maps showing
the location and numbers of the 100 objects.
On 18 January 2010, an hour-long special of The Culture Show on BBC2 was dedicated to the launch of the project.[7]
The first part of the series was broadcast on weekdays over six weeks
between 18 January and 26 February 2010. After a short break, the
series returned with the seventh week being broadcast in the week
beginning 17 May 2010.[8]
It then took another break in the middle of July and returned on 13
September 2010, running til the 100th object was featured on Friday 22
October 2010.
Reception
Maev Kennedy of The Guardian
described the programme as "a broadcasting phenomenon", while Tim
Davie, head of music and audio at BBC radio, commented that "the results
have been nothing short of stunning", exceeding the BBC's wildest hopes
for the programme. At the time of the writing of Kennedy's article,
just before the start of the last week of the series, the radio
broadcasts regularly had up to four million listeners, while the podcast
downloads had totalled 10,441,884. Of these, just over half, 5.7
million, were from the UK. In addition, members of the public had
uploaded 3,240 objects with the largest single contribution coming from
Glasgow historian Robert Pool who submitted 120 objects all relating to
the City of Glasgow, and other museums a further 1,610, and 531 museums
and heritage sites across the UK had been mounting linked events – an
unprecedented partnership, MacGregor said. Museums all over the world
are now copying the formula, as thousands of visitors every day set out
to explore the British Museum galleries equipped with the leaflet
mapping the objects.[9]
Writing in The Independent, Philip Hensher
described the series as "perfect radio", saying "Has there ever been a
more exciting, more unfailingly interesting radio series than the Radio
4/British Museum venture, A History of the World in 100 Objects? It is
such a beautifully simple idea, to trace human civilisations through the
objects that happen to have survived. Each programme, just 15 minutes
long, focuses on just one thing, quite patiently, without dawdling. At
the end, you feel that you have learnt something, and learnt it with
pleasure and interest. For years to come, the BBC will be able to point
to this wonderful series as an example of the things that it does best.
It fulfils, to a degree that one thought hardly possible any more, the
BBC's Reithian agenda of improvement and the propagation of learning and culture."[10]
Dominic Sandbrook in The Telegraph said that the "joyously highbrow" series "deserves to take its place alongside television classics such as Kenneth Clark's Civilisation and Jacob Bronowski's The Ascent of Man."[11]
Objects
Making us human (2,000,000 – 9,000 BC)
"Neil MacGregor reveals the earliest objects that define us as humans."[12] First broadcast week beginning 18 January 2010.
| Image |
Number |
Object |
Origin |
Date |
BBC website |
BM website |
Additional contributors |
 |
1 |
Mummy of Hornedjitef |
Egypt |
300 – 200 BC |
BBC |
BM, BM, BM |
Amartya Sen, John Taylor |
 |
2 |
Stone (basalt) chopping tool |
Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania |
1.8 – 2 million years old |
BBC |
BM |
Sir David Attenborough, Wangari Maathai |
 |
3 |
Hand axe |
Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania |
1.2 – 1.4 million years old |
BBC |
BM |
Sir James Dyson, Phil Harding, Nick Ashton |
 |
4 |
Swimming Reindeer from Montastruc rock shelter |
France |
13,000 years old |
BBC |
BM |
The Most Reverend Rowan Williams, Steve Mithen |
 |
5 |
Clovis spear point |
New Mexico, USA |
13,000 years old |
BBC |
BM |
Michael Palin, Gary Haynes |
After the Ice Age: food and sex (9,000 – 3,000 BC)
"Why did farming start at the end of the Ice Age? Clues remain in objects left behind."[12] First broadcast week beginning 25 January 2010.
The first cities and states (4,000 – 2,000 BC)
"What happens as people move from villages to cities? Five objects tell the story."[12] First broadcast week beginning 1 February 2010.
The beginning of science and literature (1500 – 700 BC)
"4,000 years ago, societies began to express themselves through myth, maths and monuments."[12] First broadcast week beginning 8 February 2010.
Old world, new powers (1100–300 BC)
"Across the world new regimes create objects to assert their supremacy."[12] First broadcast week beginning 15 February 2010.
The world in the age of Confucius (500–300 BC)
"Can meanings hidden in friezes and flagons tell us as much as the writings of great men?"[12] First broadcast week beginning 22 February 2010.
Empire builders (300 BC – AD 1)
"Neil MacGregor continues his global history told through objects.
This week he is with the great rulers of the world around 2,000 years
ago"[13] First broadcast week beginning 17 May 2010.
Ancient pleasures, modern spice (AD 1 – 600)
"Neil MacGregor explores the ways in which people sought pleasure 2,000 years ago."[12] First broadcast week beginning 24 May 2010.
The rise of world faiths (AD 200 – 600)
"Neil MacGregor explores how and when many great religious images came into existence."[12] First broadcast week beginning 31 May 2010.
The Silk Road and beyond (AD 400 – 700)
"Five objects from the British Museum tell the story of the movement of goods and ideas."[12] First broadcast week beginning 7 June 2010.
Inside the palace: secrets at court (AD 700 – 950)
"Neil MacGregor gets an insight into the lives of the ruling elites 1200 years ago."[12] First broadcast week beginning 14 June 2010.
Pilgrims, raiders and traders (AD 900 – 1300)
"How trade, war and religion moved objects around the globe 1000 years ago."[12] First broadcast week beginning 21 June 2010.
Status symbols (AD 1200–1400)
"Neil MacGregor examines objects which hold status and required skilful making."[12] First broadcast week beginning 28 June 2010.
Meeting the gods (AD 1200–1400)
"Objects from the British Museum show how the faithful were brought closer to their gods."[12] First broadcast week beginning 5 July 2010.
The threshold of the modern world (AD 1375–1550)
"Neil MacGregor explores the great empires of the world in the threshold of the modern era."[12] First broadcast week beginning 13 September 2010.
The first global economy (AD 1450–1600)
"Neil MacGregor traces the impact of travel, trade and conquest from 1450 to 1600."[12] First broadcast 20 September 2010.
Tolerance and intolerance (AD 1550–1700)
"Neil MacGregor tells how the great religions lived together in the C16th and C17th."[12] First broadcast week beginning 27 September 2010.
Exploration, exploitation and enlightenment (AD 1680–1820)
"Neil MacGregor on the misunderstandings that can happen when different worlds collide."[12] First broadcast 4 October 2010.
Mass production, mass persuasion (AD 1780–1914)
"How industrialisation, mass politics and imperial ambitions changed the world."[12] First broadcast week beginning 11 October 2010.
The world of our making (AD 1914–2010)
"Neil MacGregor explores aspects of sexual, political and economic history of recent times."[12] First broadcast week beginning 18 October 2010.
Special edition
A special radio programme on Radio 4, first broadcast on 18 May 2011,
featured one of the many thousands of items nominated on the BBC
website by members of the public as an object of special significance.[14]
The object chosen to be featured on the programme was an oil painting
depicting a young woman that was nominated by Peter Lewis. The painting,
which belonged to Lewis' uncle, Bryn Roberts, was painted from a
postcard photograph of Roberts' girlfriend (and later wife), Peggy
Gullup, by an anonymous Jewish artist for Roberts whilst he was a prisoner of war at Auschwitz in Poland.[15][16]
Art Fund Prize
The British Museum won the 2011 Art Fund Prize for museums and galleries for its part in the A History of the World in 100 Objects series. The prize, worth £100,000, was presented to the museum by Jeremy Hunt, Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, in a ceremony at London on 15 June 2011.[17]
The chairman of the panel of judges, Michael Portillo,
noted that the judges were "particularly impressed by the truly global
scope of the British Museum’s project, which combined intellectual
rigour and open heartedness, and went far beyond the boundaries of the
museum’s walls".[18]
The judges were also very impressed by the way that the project used
digital media in ground-breaking and novel ways to interact with
audiences.[18]
See also
References
- Ben Hoyle (18 July 2009). "British Museum and BBC reveal history of world in 100 objects". Times Online.
- MacGregor, Neil (2010), A History of the World in 100 Objects, Penguin Books, Limited, ISBN 978-1-84614-413-4
- Gillian Reynolds (18 January 2010). "A History of the World in 100 Objects, Radio 4, review". London: Daily Telegraph.
- Neil MacGregor, Programme 1, broadcast 18 January 2010
- Neil MacGregor, Programme 1,broadcast 18 January 2010
- Bunz, Mercedes (19 January 2010). "Beyond 100 objects: exploring the BBC's online history of the world". London: The Guardian. Retrieved 23 April 2010.
- "History of the World: Culture Show Special". BBC The Culture Show. 18 January 2010.
- Elisabeth Mahoney (2010-05-18). "A History of the World in 100 Objects". London: The Guardian. Retrieved 2010-06-10.
- Maev Kennedy (14 October 2010). "Radio 4's A History of the World in 100 Objects draws to a close". The Guardian.
- Philip Hensher (15 October 2010). "Philip Hensher: The objects of my affection". The Independent.
- Dominic Sandbrook (11 October 2010). "An object lesson in history from Radio Four". The Telegraph.
- "A History of the World in 100 objects — Programmes". Archived from the original on 23 September 2010. Retrieved 2 October 2010.
- "A History of the World in 100 objects — Empire Builders (300 BC - 1 AD)". Archived from the original on 28 September 2010. Retrieved 2 October 2010.
- Gillian Reynolds (12 May 2011). "A History of the World Special, Radio 4, preview". Daily Telegraph.
- "A History of the World Special". BBC Radio 4.
- Jessica Elgot (19 May 2011). "He put colour in her cheeks: did her smile save his life?". Jewish Chronicle.
- Mark Brown (15 June 2011). "British Museum wins Arts Fund prize". The Guardian.
- "British Museum scoops £100,000 Art Fund Prize and is crowned 'Museum of the Year'". The Art Fund.
External links
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