A History of the World in 100 Objects

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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: Ancient Pleasures, Modern Spice (1 - 600 AD): Ceremonial ballgame belt

Ceremonial Ballgame Belt

Ceremonial ballgame belt

Ancient Pleasures, Modern Spice (1 - 600 AD)

A History of the World in 100 Objects Omnibus

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Neil MacGregor discovers the oldest ball game on earth.

The history of the world as told through objects; and evidence of the oldest organised sport on earth, a 3,500-year-old ball game from Central America.

Neil MacGregor's history of humanity as told through one hundred objects that time has left behind. This week he is looking at objects of leisure and pleasure around the world about 2000 years ago. How were we amusing ourselves back then? Today's object is a large stone belt, a heavyweight ceremonial version of the leather and fibre padding that was used in an ancient ball game in central America. This was a game with a rubber ball that dates back as far as three and a half thousand years ago - the world's oldest known organised sport.  Neil offers up the rules of the game and describes how it connected players to the realm of their gods. The historian Michael Whittington considers the ritual aspects of the game while the writer Nick Hornby describes how sport straddles the emotional territory between the sacred and the profane.

Producer: Anthony Denselow

A History of the World in 100 Objects: Ancient Pleasures, Modern Spice (1 - 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 the ways in which people sought pleasure 2,000 years ago

Throughout this week Neil MacGregor, Director of the British Museum, explores the ways in which people sought pleasure around the world 2,000 years ago: from pipe smoking to sex

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A History of the World in 100 Objects

Ancient Pleasures, Modern Spice (1 - 600 AD)

Ceremonial ballgame belt

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