麻豆约拍

Ancient Pleasures, Modern Spice (1 - 600 AD)

North American otter pipe

Neil MacGregor and a 2,000-year-old stone pipe from North America.

• 14 mins

Ancient Pleasures, Modern Spice (1 - 600 AD)

Ceremonial ballgame belt

Neil MacGregor discovers the oldest ball game on earth.

• 14 mins

Ancient Pleasures, Modern Spice (1 - 600 AD)

Admonitions Scroll

Neil MacGregor and an ancient Chinese scroll that rules on how women should behave.

• 14 mins

Ancient Pleasures, Modern Spice (1 - 600 AD)

Hoxne pepper pot

Neil MacGregor uses a silver pepper pot to tell of the Roman spice trade with India.

• 14 mins

The Rise of World Faiths (200 - 600 AD)

Seated Buddha from Gandhara

Neil MacGregor with one of world religion's most iconic images - the Buddha.

• 14 mins

The Rise of World Faiths (200 - 600 AD)

Gold coin of Kumaragupta I

Neil MacGregor with gold coins from North India.

• 14 mins

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.

• 14 mins

The Rise of World Faiths (200 - 600 AD)

Hinton St Mary Mosaic

Neil MacGregor encounters one of the earliest images of Christ.

• 14 mins

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.

• 14 mins

The Silk Road And Beyond (400 - 700 AD)

Gold Coins of Abd al-Malik

Neil MacGregor with gold coins from Syria and the transformation of the Middle East.

• 14 mins

The Silk Road And Beyond (400 - 700 AD)

Sutton Hoo helmet

Neil MacGregor with one of the most sensational finds from Anglo-Saxon Britain.

• 14 mins

The Silk Road And Beyond (400 - 700 AD)

Moche warrior pot

Neil MacGregor with a warrior figure from a lost people of Peru.

• 14 mins

The Silk Road And Beyond (400 - 700 AD)

Korean roof tile

Neil MacGregor delves into the history of an artefact from Korea.

• 14 mins

The Silk Road And Beyond (400 - 700 AD)

Silk princess painting

Neil MacGregor continues his history of the world with a painting from the Silk Road.

• 14 mins

Inside The Palace: Secrets At Court (700 - 950 AD)

Maya relief of royal blood-letting

Neil Macgregor with a disturbing, bloody image from the ancient Mayan civilisation

• 14 mins

Inside The Palace: Secrets At Court (700 - 950 AD)

Harem wall painting fragments

Neil MacGregor with mysterious faces from the harem in an ancient city north of Baghdad

• 14 mins

Inside The Palace: Secrets At Court (700 - 950 AD)

Lothair Crystal

Neil MacGregor with an engraved crystal and royal intrigue at the heart of Europe

• 14 mins

Inside The Palace: Secrets At Court (700 - 950 AD)

Statue of Tara

Neil MacGregor with a beguiling statue of the Buddhist deity Tara

• 14 mins

Inside The Palace: Secrets At Court (700 - 950 AD)

Chinese Tang tomb figures

Neil MacGregor with a collection of tomb figures from Tang dynasty China

• 14 mins

Pilgrims, Raiders and Traders (900 - 1300 AD)

Vale of York Hoard

Neil Macgregor with a great Viking hoard from the Vale of York.

• 14 mins

Pilgrims, Raiders and Traders (900 - 1300 AD)

Hedwig glass beaker

Neil MacGregor with a glass vessel linked with a saintly miracle worker.

• 14 mins

Pilgrims, Raiders and Traders (900 - 1300 AD)

Japanese bronze mirror

Neil MacGregor with a bronze mirror from a sacred pond in Japan.

• 14 mins

Pilgrims, Raiders and Traders (900 - 1300 AD)

Borobudur Buddha head

Neil MacGregor with a head of the Buddha from Borobudur.

• 14 mins

Pilgrims, Raiders and Traders (900 - 1300 AD)

Kilwa pot sherds

Neil MacGregor - unlocking secrets with broken pots from East Africa.

• 14 mins

Status Symbols (1200 - 1400 AD)

Lewis Chessmen

Neil Macgregor's history through objects - today the famous Lewis chessmen.

• 14 mins

Status Symbols (1200 - 1400 AD)

Hebrew astrolabe

Neil MacGregor with an extraordinary astronomical instrument.

• 14 mins

Status Symbols (1200 - 1400 AD)

Ife head

Neil MacGregor with a magnificent brass head from the African city of Ife.

• 14 mins

Status Symbols (1200 - 1400 AD)

The David Vases

Neil MacGregor - and the transformation of ordinary clay into beautiful Chinese porcelain.

• 14 mins

Status Symbols (1200 - 1400 AD)

Taino ritual seat

Neil MacGregor with a ritual seat from a Caribbean culture that has been destroyed.

• 14 mins

Meeting The Gods (1200 - 1400 AD)

Holy Thorn Reliquary

Neil MacGregor with a reliquary made for a thorn from Christ's crown of thorns.

• 14 mins