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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: The Rise of World Faiths (200 - 600 AD): Arabian bronze hand

Arabian Bronze Hand

Arabian bronze hand

The Rise of World Faiths (200 - 600 AD)

A History of the World in 100 Objects Omnibus

BBC Radio 4 - A History of the World in 100 Objects, The Rise of World Faiths (200 - 600 AD), Arabian bronze hand

A mysterious bronze hand tells the story of religious belief in Arabia before Islam.

Neil MacGregor's history of the world told through objects continues with an Arabian bronze hand from the time before Islam.

Throughout this week Neil MacGregor is looking at how the great faiths were creating new visual aids to promote devotion around the world of 1700 years ago. Having looked at emerging images from Hinduism, Zoroastrianism, Christianity and Buddhism he turns his attention to the religious climate of pre-Islamic Arabia. The story is told through a life sized bronze hand cut at the wrist and with writing on the back. It turns out to be not a part of a god but a gift to a god in a Yemeni hill village. Neil uses this mysterious object to explore the centrality of Arabia at this period, with its wealth of local gods and imported beliefs.  The hand surgeon Jeremy Field considers whether this was the modelled from a real human hand while the religious historian Philip Jenkins reflects on what happens to the old pagan gods when a brand new religion sweeps into town. 

Proudcer: Anthony Denselow


A History of the World in 100 Objects: The Rise of World Faiths (200 - 600 AD)

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

Neil MacGregor explores how and when many great religious images came into existence

Neil MacGregor, Director of the British Museum, explores when and how many of the great religious images we are familiar with today came into existence

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A History of the World in 100 Objects

The Rise of World Faiths (200 - 600 AD)

Arabian bronze hand

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