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A History of the World in 100 Objects

Factual: History

Director of the British Museum, Neil MacGregor, retells humanity's history through objects

Director of the British Museum, Neil MacGregor, narrates 100 programmes that retell humanity's history through the objects we have made.

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A History of the World in 100 Objects: Old World, New Powers (1100 - 300 BC): Gold Coin of Croesus

Gold Coin of Croesus

Old World, New Powers (1100 - 300 BC)

A History of the World in 100 Objects Omnibus

BBC Radio 4 - A History of the World in 100 Objects, Old World, New Powers (1100 - 300 BC), Gold Coin of Croesus

Neil MacGregor's retelling of history through objects - gold coins of Croesus

Neil MacGregor continues his world history told through objects at the British Museum with the world's first proper coins that made King Croesus so rich

The history of the world as told through one hundred objects from the British Museum. This week Neil MacGregor, the Museum's Director, has been looking at the collapse of old regimes and the emergence of new powers from the Middle East to China.  In today's programme, he describes how a powerful new state finds a dramatic way to help run its increasingly complex economy and trading networks - using coins.
Croesus was a king in what is now Western Turkey and his kingdom was called Lydia. It's remarkable that over two thousand years later we still have an expression that celebrates his wealth. Neil MacGregor considers how money, in the form of coins, first came about and describes the (hugely complex) methods of creating them. And whatever happened to Croesus? 

A History of the World in 100 Objects: Old World, New Powers (1100 - 300 BC)

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Intelligent speech, the most insightful journalism, the wittiest comedy, the most fascinating features and the most compelling drama and readings anywhere in UK radio.

Across the world new regimes create objects to assert their supremacy.

From the very first coinage to burial shrouds, Neil MacGregor decodes five objects to reveal the ambition of new regimes across the world.

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A History of the World in 100 Objects

Old World, New Powers (1100 - 300 BC)

Gold Coin of Croesus

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