A History of the World in 100 Objects by Neil MacGregor
OUR APPRECIATIONS ABOUT
THIS BOOK
- The author is very conscious of the simultaneous development of objects and ideas (writing, coins, etc.) in multiple places and didn’t just talk about Africa or other “traditional” places
- He included objects from all over the world to tell a sequential history of the world
- Why did corn become a “god” in the Americas and not squash or beans?
- He included biological changes (brain size, nutrition, etc.) along with the social changes (farming, artisans, communities, etc.)
- The ceremonial jade axe story (4000 BC) is one of our favorites
In preparation for our meeting to
discuss the HISTORY OF THE WORLD in 100 object or 6 glasses, think about
your own life What 6 objects represent your history? Our own personal list of
objects that influenced our life included:
- German pretzels
- Cat/kitten
- Photograph of Rex Smith (the actor/singer)
- Paper & pencil (or writing instrument)
- Car
- Boston Sunday Globe
- Wearing braces
- Special doll received from Dad who was in the Air Force
- Beads (“hippie era”)
- Water
- House
History of the World in
100 Objects – A description of objects
BBC – A list of objects
100 Objects in 5 minutes –
a quick video of all the objects
A History of the World in 6 Glasses by Tom Standage
(you might want to consider
reading his other book, An Edible History of Humanity)
OUR APPRECIATIONS ABOUT
THIS BOOK
- Each drink represented an era of history
- Each drink influenced the next drink
- Coffee and tea might have happened simultaneously, rather than sequentially
- All the drinks are tied to economics
- Drinks were tied to social structure, including children in that societal structure
- Globalization could also have been represented by McDonalds, but then it wouldn’t have been a drink
- He focused a lot on the Middle East (The Fertile Crescent) and we sometimes forget how important that part of the world is to world history
History of the world in 6
glasses – great little video
General History
History of the World in 7
Minutes – a quickie world history video