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A History of the World in 100 Objects is a joint project of BBC Radio 4 and the British Museum.

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.

Making Us Human (2,000,000 - 9000 BC)

1 - Mummy of Hornedjitef

2 - Olduvai stone chopping tool

3 - Olduvai handaxe

4 - Swimming reindeer

5 - Clovis spear point

After the Ice Age: Food and Sex (9000 - 3500 BC)

6 - Bird-shaped pestle

7 - Ain Sakhri or 'The Lovers'

8 - Egyptian Painted Pottery Cattle

9 - Maya maize god statue

10 - Jomon pot

The First Cities and States (4000 - 2000 BC)

- 11 King Den's sandal label

12 - Standard of Ur

13 - Indus seal

14 - Jade axe

15 - Early writing tablet

The Beginning of Science & Literature (1500 - 700 BC)

16 - Flood Tablet

17 - Rhind Mathematical Papyrus

18 - Minoan Bull Leaper

19 - Mold Gold Cape

20 - Statue of Ramesses II

Old World, New Powers (1100 - 300 BC)

21 - Lachish Reliefs

22 - Sphinx of Taharqo

23 - Chinese Zhou ritual vessel

24 - Paracas textile

25 - Gold coin of Croesus

The World in the Age of Confucius (500 - 300 BC)

- 26 Oxus chariot model

27 - Parthenon sculpture: Centaur and Lapith

28 - Basse Yutz Flagons

29 - Olmec stone mask

30 - Chinese bronze bell

Empire Builders (300BC - 1 AD)

31 - Coin with head of Alexander

32 - Pillar of Ashoka

33 - Rosetta Stone

34 - Chinese Han lacquer cup

35 - Head of Augustus

Ancient Pleasures, Modern Spice (1 AD - 600 AD)

36 - Warren Cup

37 - North American otter pipe

38 - Ceremonial ballgame belt

39 - Admonitions Scroll

40 - Hoxne pepper pot

The Rise of World Faiths (200 - 600 AD)

41 - Seated Buddha from Gandhara

42 - Gold coin of Kumaragupta I

43 - Silver plate showing Shapur II

44 - Hinton St Mary Mosaic

45 - Arabian bronze hand

The Silk Road and Beyond (400 - 700 AD)

46 - Gold coin of Abd al-Malik

47 - Sutton Hoo helmet

48 - Moche warrior pot

49 - Korean roof tile

50 - Silk princess painting

Inside the Palace: Secrets at Court (700 - 950 AD)

51 - Maya relief of royal blood-letting

52 - Harem wall painting fragments

53 - Lothair Crystal

54 - Statue of Tara

55 - Chinese Tang tomb figures

Pilgrims, Raiders and Traders (900 - 1300 AD)

56 - Vale of York Hoard

57 - Hedwig glass beaker

58 - Japanese bronze mirror

59 - Borobudur Buddha head

60 - Kilwa pot sherds

Status Symbols (1200 - 1400 AD)

61 - Lewis Chessmen

62 - Hebrew astrolabe

63 - Ife head

64 - The David Vases

65 - Taino ritual seat

Meeting the Gods

66 - Holy Thorn Reliquary

67 - Icon of the Triumph of Orthodoxy

68 - Shiva and Parvati sculpture

69 - Sculpture of Huastec goddess

70 - Hoa Hakananai'a Easter Island statue

The Threshold of the Modern World (1375 - 1550 AD)

71 - Tughra of Suleiman the Magnificent

72 - Ming banknote

73 - Inca gold llama

74 - Jade dragon cup

75 - Durer's 'Rhinoceros'

The First Global Economy (1450 - 1600 AD)

76 - The mechanical galleon

77 - Benin plaque: the oba with Europeans

78 - Double-headed serpent

79 - Kakiemon elephants

80 - Pieces of eight - Silver coins from Bolivia

Tolerance and Intolerance (1550 - 1700 AD)

81 - Shi'a religious parade standa

82 - Miniature of a Mughal prince

83 - Shadow puppet of Bima

84 - Mexican codex map

85 - Reformation centenary broadsheet

Exploration, Exploitation and Enlightenment (1680 - 1820 AD)

86 - Akan drum

87 - Hawaiian feather helmet

88 - North American buckskin map

89 - Australian bark shield

90 - Jade bi

Mass Production, Mass Persuasion (1780 - 1914 AD)

- 91 Ship's chronometer from HMS Beagle

92 - Early Victorian tea set

93 - Hokusai's 'The Great Wave'

94 - Sudanese slit drum

95 - Suffragette defaced penny

The World of Our Making (1914 - 2010 AD)

96 - Russian revolutionary plateФАРФОР из Санкт-Петербурга, России

97 - Hockney's 'In the dull village'

98 - Throne of Weapons

99 - Credit card (issued 2009), from United Arab Emirates

100 - Solar-powered lamp and charger, made in Shenzhen, Guangdong, China, 2010