Status Symbols (1200 - 1400 AD)

Ife head

Neil MacGregor with a magnificent brass head from the African city of Ife.

• 14 mins

Status Symbols (1200 - 1400 AD)

The David Vases

Neil MacGregor - and the transformation of ordinary clay into beautiful Chinese porcelain.

• 14 mins

Status Symbols (1200 - 1400 AD)

Taino ritual seat

Neil MacGregor with a ritual seat from a Caribbean culture that has been destroyed.

• 14 mins

Meeting The Gods (1200 - 1400 AD)

Holy Thorn Reliquary

Neil MacGregor with a reliquary made for a thorn from Christ's crown of thorns.

• 14 mins

Meeting The Gods (1200 - 1400 AD)

Icon of the Triumph of Orthodoxy

Neil MacGregor with a 14th century icon from the Byzantine Empire.

• 14 mins

Meeting The Gods (1200 - 1400 AD)

Shiva and Parvati sculpture

Neil MacGregor with a stone sculpture of the Hindu deity Shiva and his consort Parvati.

• 14 mins

Meeting The Gods (1200 - 1400 AD)

Statue of Huastec goddess

Neil MacGregor with the sculpture of a goddess made by the Huastec people of Mexico.

• 14 mins

Meeting The Gods (1200 - 1400 AD)

Hoa Hakananai'a Easter Island statue

Neil MacGregor with one of the extraordinary giant figures from Easter Island.

• 14 mins

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

Tughra of Suleiman the Magnificent

Neil Macgregor with the personal monogram of Suleyman the Magnificent.

• 14 mins

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

Ming banknote

Neil MacGregor with a 14th century bank note - from Ming Dynasty China.

• 14 mins

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

Inca gold llama

Neil MacGregor with a model of a llama - the animal behind the Inca Empire.

• 14 mins

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

Jade dragon cup

Neil MacGregor with a jade cup that belonged a great leader of the Timurid Empire.

• 14 mins

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

Durer's Rhinoceros

Neil MacGregor with Durer's extraordinary image of a rhino - an animal he had never seen.

• 14 mins

The First Global Economy (1450 - 1600 AD)

The mechanical galleon

Neil Macgregor with a clockwork galleon designed for a grand dinner table.

• 14 mins

The First Global Economy (1450 - 1600 AD)

Benin plaque - the Oba with Europeans

Neil MacGregor with some of the best examples of African art, the great plaques of Benin.

• 14 mins

The First Global Economy (1450 - 1600 AD)

Double-headed serpent

Neil MacGregor with one of the stars of the British Museum - an Aztec serpent

• 14 mins

The First Global Economy (1450 - 1600 AD)

Kakiemon elephants

Neil MacGregor with porcelain white elephants from Japan.

• 14 mins

The First Global Economy (1450 - 1600 AD)

Pieces of eight

Neil MacGregor with the first truly global money - silver pieces of eight.

• 14 mins

Tolerance and Intolerance (AD 1550-1700)

Shi'a Religious Parade Standard

Neil Macgregor with a powerful symbol from Shia Iran.

• 14 mins

Tolerance and Intolerance (AD 1550-1700)

Miniature of a Mughal Prince

Neil MacGregor with a miniature painting from Mughal India.

• 14 mins

Tolerance and Intolerance (AD 1550-1700)

Shadow Puppet of Bima

Neil MacGregor explores religion and politics in South East Asia through a shadow puppet.

• 14 mins

Tolerance and Intolerance (AD 1550-1700)

Mexican Codex Map

Neil MacGregor explores the Spanish religious conquest of Mexico with a map.

• 14 mins

Tolerance and Intolerance (AD 1550-1700)

Reformation Centenary Broadsheet

Neil MacGregor with a souvenir of the 100th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation.

• 14 mins

Exploration, Exploitation and Enlightenment (AD 1680-1820)

Akan Drum

Neil MacGregor with an African drum taken to America during the slave trade

• 14 mins

Exploration, Exploitation and Enlightenment (AD 1680-1820)

North American Buckskin Map

Neil MacGregor with a buckskin map from North America

• 14 mins

Exploration, Exploitation and Enlightenment (AD 1680-1820)

Australian Bark Shield

Neil MacGregor with a bark shield brought from Australia by Captain Cook

• 14 mins

Exploration, Exploitation and Enlightenment (AD 1680-1820)

Jade bi

Neil MacGregor with an object from the 18th-century Chinese Enlightenment - a jade disc

• 14 mins

Mass Production, Mass Persuasion (1780 - 1914 AD)

Ship's chronometer from HMS Beagle

Neil MacGregor with a chronometer that accompanied Darwin to South America.

• 14 mins

Mass Production, Mass Persuasion (1780 - 1914 AD)

Early Victorian tea set

Neil MacGregor tells the story of the global trade in tea - with a Victorian tea set.

• 14 mins

Mass Production, Mass Persuasion (1780 - 1914 AD)

Hokusai's The Great Wave

Neil MacGregor with a familiar image - Hokusai's The Great Wave.

• 14 mins