A History of the World in 100 Objects from the British Museum explored the history of humanity – how we have shaped the world, and how the world has shaped us.
From stone to gold, clay to plastic, the exhibition traced the past through objects people have made, including the famous Lewis chessmen and the extraordinary bronze head of Caesar Augustus.
A History of the World in 100 Objects from the British Museum was previously on show at the National Museum of Australia from 9 September 2016 until 29 January 2017.
Listen to expert presenters help make sense of two million years of human history and share the story behind some of the key objects from the exhibition.
As host venue, the National Museum was invited to select a 101st object to mark a point on Australia’s journey through history.
Media launch
A behind the scenes glimpse of the 8 September 2016 media launch with National Museum Director Dr Mathew Trinca and British Museum Curator Belinda Crerar.
MATHEW TRINCA: I say this really honestly when I say A History of the World in 100 Objects is an exhibition like no other. Its story is really our story – the story of us – and it represents human experience over a vast swathe of two million years.
BELINDA CRERAR: What really makes this exhibition unique is that it is a history told directly through objects and this for me is really special. What I find really fascinating about this exhibition is it’s through the objects themselves that we can access the concerns and the thoughts of societies who made them; the people who created them.
Media releases
- Major British Museum collections coming to National Museum of Australia
- National Museum marks one-millionth global visit to A History of the World in 100 Objects
- National Museum wins Canberra Region Tourism Award for the second time
- 50,000 visits to A History of the World
- Vision and hearing impaired access for A History of the World in 100 Objects
- Remarkable treasures from the British Museum’s collection on display in Canberra
- CSIRO global wi-fi invention in A History of the World in 100 Objects exhibition
- Major partnership between the National Museum and British Museum
Acknowledgements
The presentation of this exhibition was a collaboration between the British Museum, the Western Australian Museum and the National Museum of Australia.
The exhibition A History of the World in 100 Objects was supported by the Australian Government International Exhibitions Insurance (AGIEI) Program. This program provides funding for the purchase of insurance for significant cultural exhibitions. Without AGIEI, the high cost of insuring significant cultural items would prohibit this major exhibition from touring to Australia.
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