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: The Rise of World Faiths (200 - 600 AD): Silver plate showing Shapur II

Silver Plate Showing Shapur II

Silver plate showing Shapur II

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), Silver plate showing Shapur II

Neil MacGregor, with a dramatic image of power and faith from ancient Iran.

The history of the world told through objects. This week Neil MacGregor is exploring faith and the emergence of images to express the divine. Today, an image of faith from Iran.

Throughout this week Neil MacGregor is describing how people across the globe around 1700 years ago found new images to express their religious beliefs. Today's object is a dramatic visualisation of power and faith in 4th Century Iran.  It is a silver plate that shows King Shapur II out hunting deer. Neil describes how this apparently secular image reveals the beliefs of the day, when the king was seen as the agent of god and the upholder of the state religion - Zoroastrianism. How might we read this hunting scene as a religious image? And why did the belief system of such a powerful dynasty fail to become a dominant world religion? With contributions from the historian Tom Holland and the Iranian art historian Guitty Azarpay.

Producer: Anthony Denselow


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

BBC Radio 4

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)

Silver plate showing Shapur II

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