A history of the world in 100 objects

What Hacker News says

1. wnissenJun 2023
   I highly, highly recommend A History of the World in 100 Objects (particularly the out of print 2011 hardback, which is not available from any non-Amazon sources I could find.) As you can guess from the title, it tells the story of human history through archaeological finds. They are all from the British Museum, so it wouldn't include something like the sword from the OP, but given that independence from the British is the most widely celebrated holiday in the world, it's nearly comprehensive.

   https://www.amazon.com/History-World-100-Objects/dp/06700227...

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2. mellosoulsApr 2020
   As an aside, the excellent

   History of the World in 100 Objects

   is currently available for download.

   https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00nrtd2/episodes/downloads

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3. pbhjpbhjJan 2019
   I too am fascinated by artefacts. Neil MacGregor's "A History of the World in 100 Objects" is a favourite book of mine, for example (and I have a physical copy!).

   But, here's the rub, once analysed, understood, etc., (which for a simple image we can do readily; we already knew about the producer, the printers, the paper and ink types, the manner of production, the information held on the page is not novel AFAICT), what real value beyond that of any rare trinket does it have.

   We grow out of bringing home every stick or stone, as children wish to.

   It seems like magical thinking to imagine the logical 'soul' of the artefact cannot be extracted.

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4. jkmcfSep 2018
   Active Podcasts:

   - Dan Carlin's Hardcore Histories & Hardcore History Addendum

   - The Art of Manliness (i.e., everything I wish I knew as a teen, not specifically for men, mostly author interviews)

   - History Extra Podcast (focussed on British history)

   - Stoic Meditations

   - The British History Podcast

   - The Economist: Babbage (science news)

   - Mike Duncan's Revolutions (deep dives on select revolutions since 1600)

   - The World in Time / Lapham's Quarterly (great author interviews)

   "Finished" podcasts:

   - Mike Duncan's The History of Rome

   - Lars Brownworth's Norman Centuries

   - Lars Brownworth's 12 Byzantine Emperors

   - Jamie Redfern's Hannibal and the Punic Wars

   - Jamie Redfern's The History of Alexander the Great

   - Tony Cocks' Binge Thinking History

   - The Ancient World

   - The History of the World in 100 Objects

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5. sukhadatkeereoNov 2017
   1.Rice, Noodle, Fish: Deep Travels Through Japan's Food Culture by Matt Goulding

   2.Oaxaca Journal by Oliver Sacks

   3.A History of the World in 100 Objects by Neil MacGregor

   4.Ernest Hemingway on Writing by Ernest Hemingway

   5.Seven Elements That Have Changed the World: An Adventure of Ingenuity and Discovery by John Browne.

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6. joostersNov 2015
   The British Museum's "A History of the World in 100 Objects" is a fantastic way of exploring some of the items in the museum. The short radio programs give a great background and context to each item:

   http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/a_history_of_the_world....

   and

   http://www.bbc.co.uk/ahistoryoftheworld/about/british-museum...

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