A wonderful look back in time at important objects that shaped our world. It took me a little while to get used to his voice, but by the end I wanted another 900 objects.
I have listened to this podcast all the way through twice, and will probably do so again in the future. Each episode gives a quick glimpse into a particular human culture (many of which I knew little to nothing about, and some of which had never heard of), and taken together they paint a picture of the incredible range of human ingenuity over the millenia.
I’ve listened to this podcast at bedtime almost every night for the past 4 years. Some of my favorite episodes are pieces of eight, the pepper pot, the otter pipe, and the hand axe. Between the measured British accents, musical bumpers and benign subject material, my mind locks into the podcast and I fall asleep 99% of the time before my 10 minute timer expires. And if not, I’ve relearned something interesting and I listen to another.
Thanks to British Colonial appropriations and the BBC, sleep is always just a few clicks away.
Nighty night...
Great podcast with high production quality and fascinating stories. Each episode is like a fresh visit to the British Museum, and I am learning to appreciate more the intricate stories that these eclectic objects tell. Very entertaining!
Sometimes you don't want or have time for a deep dive on history. This podcast is quick and informative and with an object/image backing up each story I found it brilliant.
Great idea for a podcast but each episode is only 14 minutes long and close to half of that is overproduced music bumpers and show intro. Each of these objects could have produced hours of content. Instead the 8 or so minutes of actual content consists of incredibly pat analysis often by non-expert semi celebrities of the pseudo-intellectual camp. Often the presentation does not even mention that there is debate about the interpretation of many of the objects. Just lazy and formulaic all around. Each object invariably is summed up by relating it to the present - just as today people in the past struggled in their relationships with one another, there has always been war (slow head shaking with downcast eyes). If this cliche and anachronistic approach is what the producers were after, they should have included a tongue clucking head shaking explanation about how all those objects ended up in the British Museum.
I love that I can play the episodes in any order, and refer to the objects on BBC website.
The history is made very real by reference to an object, this podcast is like walking through a museum.
One of the best podcast series I've ever listened to! It gives you a trip through world history using the object at the British Museum. Absolutely loved it and highly recommend!
Love, love this podcast. I appreciate the care with which the objects are chosen. It is so refreshing to hear of ancient culture and intellectual thought all across the globe. Listen, learn and love it!
this was such a great podcast, they select items from the British Museum that represent some significance bit of history and just talk about it and what was going on in the world at that time. Starting at the dawn of time and moving Into modern era. I liked that each episode was just 15 minutes long . I have a short attention span so it was just the right amount of time to spend on each item. Some things I looked up after and read much more about , opened up lots of curiosity in me.
This series was such a great idea: approaching human history through objects rather than events or people. The epsiodes won't make you a history major, but they will introduce you to a variety of objects that can tell us both about the differences and similarities between human cultures in various times and places. I have listened to the entire series twice now, and it remains interesting. Most of the complaints and low ratings are from the brief period when the episodes were taken down and re-released on a daily basis to get them ordered correctly (and to fix a few editing problems).
One last note: if you are looking for any self-flagellation over colonialism, you won't find it here. The host is self-aware enough to recognize what the British Museum's possession of these objects means to some people, but he steers clear of any sort of politics. This is about the objects and what they reveal about those who created them, not about the history of the objects themselves (and definitely not about their political history). This might disappoint some people, but not every podcast can be about every issue.
Really enjoying this series. If you were like me and tuned out a few times in your high school world history class - and now wish you didn’t - listen to this. Such a unique way to tell the story of human civilization while describing each objects. Check it out!
This was a very interesting podcast. I enjoyed hearing about the different objects and the role they played in history. The first couple of episodes is about caveman history which I didn't care for. But by episode 3 or 4 I was hooked and binged on all the rest of the episodes.
Bravo to BBC and the British Natural History Museum on this incredibly well produced, finely told, and endlessly fascinating series. I am working my way through all of them and relish every listen.
I love the perspective of telling the history of the world represented in this podcast. The stories are engaging and fascinating. I love that I can get a look into the British Museum, which I've never visited.
However, the prodigious use of the masculine pronoun is irritating - although ubiquitous in just about any media. What drove me crazy is the story about an unusually large stone knife. The size makes it a not very useful tool. Why is that? Well, it could have been decorative or ceremonial. It would have made the wearer seem strong or important, and as a result, attract women.
Other stories about tools or weapons are always told as if the maker and/or user was a man.
BBC 4 - this podcast is so good! Why spoil it by alienating your women listeners?
I listen to a lot of history podcasts and this one is by far the highest quality and one of my very favorites. I am sad that I am finished with all 100 objects, but I guess this means I can listen from the beginning again! All of the objects are available on the website they provide at the end of each episode. The pictures (and video) provided on the website are more than helpful to look at before, during, or after you have finished your podcast. Totes would recommend.
i understand why there aren't more episodes. however, i would LOVE to have a weekly podcast with this same layout, where each item in the museum is discussed. VERY informative and interesting!
I LOVED this podcast! It was so interesting to learn about other cultures thru objects. I was super bummed when I finished all 100 objects. Could you do another 100 objects? More history of the World? I miss this podcast.
Mr. MacGregor please don't stop with this keep adding more objects and enlighten us more fore example you covered Borobodur - why not object from Prambanan the temple complex near by even if the object is not in your museum.
A fascinating program that has made me look at museum collections with new interest and understanding. As another reviewer has said, if it were a history of the world in 1000 objects, I would listen to them all. I purchased the book as a result of listening to this, and the book is well worth seeking out for the pictures of the objects and to be able to review the content of the program.
I want to give it away to everyone I know. 15 minute insights into world history (yes I know its more complex and the Colonial nations is telling the story).
How many times have you walked through a museum in a fog after the reading the lit-tle cards next to the first few dozen things on display? The British Museum is stuffed with an extraordinary collection and I've been there many times on visits but never have I appreciated the significance of all the world's history housed there before. I have seen the Rosetta stone and Elgin marbles but a tiny golden llama from Peru? Here, it reveals the entire Incan confrontation with Spanish Conquistadors. Or the ancient jade Bi the Ch'ing emperor graffitied with his own doggerel verse? Nope. The choice of objects was brilliant and thought-provoking.
THERE ARE PHOTOS ONLINE OF EVERY OBJECT.
This series puts history into context better than any other program or book that I have read. It is so digestible with its small segments that the listener is more apt to retain information. This series makes the objects in discussion relevant to me by explaining not only the object's purpose and craftsmanship but also the historical atmosphere and human timeline in which it falls. Truly brilliant in every sense of the word. I look forward to visiting the British Museum now with more background not only into these objects but similar objects. I have also learned to find more significance while observing artifacts due to the many angles this series takes.
I first picked up the book after hearing an interview on NPR and then discovered the podcasts were made first. It is very similar to the book but better to have the audio paint the visuals.
I think this is what podcasting should be all about. I'm enjoyed this podcast for over a year and continue to listen to it and hear new things on repeated listenings. Top marks.
I am aware that in the UK and abroad, this series has been criticized and condemned as a cynical attempt to bolster the British Museum's public image and to justify the museum's continued possession of artifacts that some would like to see returned to their countries of origin. But taking the series on its own merits, while its title is misleading and it is uneven and occasionally awkward, overall it is a fascinating gallop through some indispensible slices of human history.
We downloaded these to the kids itouch and had them listen in as we followed the Brit Museum map of the (the world history in 100 objects). Made the event much more rewarding and rich ! And its all FREE !!!
