this looks like a great new podcast
A History of the World in 100 Objects
Director of the British Museum, Neil MacGregor, narrates 100 programmes that retell humanity's history through the objects we have made. The series spans two million years of history and uses objects from the British Museum's collection to tell a history of the world, from the earliest times to the present day. The 15-minute programmes are broadcast Monday to Friday on BBC Radio 4, and the podcast is published daily. Beginning in January, 2010 the programmes will be broadcast in three tranches through the year.
001 Mummy of Hornedjitef 18 Jan 10
Mon, 18 Jan 10
This ornate Egyptian coffin holds secrets to the understanding of their priests' religion, Egyptian society and its connections to the rest of the world. At the age of eight, Neil MacGregor visited the British Museum for the first time and came face to face with this object and it has fascinated and intrigued him ever since.
002 Olduvai Stone Chopping Tool 19 Jan 2010
Tue, 19 Jan 10
A simple chipped stone from the Rift Valley in Tanzania marks the emergence of modern humans. Faced with the needs to cut meat from carcasses, early humans in Africa discovered how to shape stones into cutting tools. From that one innovation, a whole history of human development springs. Neil MacGregor, Director of the British Museum, tells the story with contributions from flint napper Phil Harding, Sir David Attenborough and African Nobel Prize winner Dr Wangeri Maathai.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/ahow
