Way back in 2011, I considered the History of the World in 100 Objects - which had just been recently published. It’s a great work, and a fascinating study, but I ended up agreeing with maybe ⅔ - because 1) It is solely focused on items from the British Museum and 2) It vastly underrepresents modernity.
So here’s my new, updated, list. Much of it is identical to the old - lots was worth keeping. But not being tied to the British Museum allows for significant expansion. Of note: this is focused on objects - so things like buildings, or concepts, aren’t included. Without further ado:
- Olduvai
Handaxe – 1.2-1.4 MYA, Tanzania. Tool use! Handaxes were critical
multi-tools of our ancestors. Also an important reminder that we start our
human journey in media res: technology predates our species.
- German
Lion-Man – 35,000-41,000 YA, Germany. One of the earliest pieces of art
made by humans, of potentially religious significance.
- Clovis Spear
Point – 13,000 YA, New Mexico. Homo Sapiens had reached the Americas,
and uniquely adapted Afro-Eurasian technology.
- Japanese
Jomon Pot – 10,000 BCE, Japan. While working with
clay is far older, in Japan proper kiln-based ceramics arose as one of the
earliest sites to discover this technology.
- Papuan
Bird-Shaped Pestle – 10,000 BCE, Papua New Guinea. Evidence of
cooking and agriculture, this shows the influence of agriculture
developing outside the Fertile Crescent.
- Mesopotamian
Cuneiform Writing Tablet – 3,000 BCE, Iraq. World’s first writing as
we know it, depicts bureaucratic rationing of beer in lieu of pay.
- Egyptian
King’s Sandal Label – 2985 BCE, Egypt. This ivory piece has
depictions of early state-building, and power politics. It shows a pharaoh
smiting someone, and is one of the earliest depictions in the world of a
ruler.
- Ur Box
(Battle Standard?) – 2,600-2,4000 BCE, Iraq. Depicts tax
collection: More complex state building. Also shows use of a key Sumerian
invention: the wheel.
- Sumerian
Plow Seal – 2,340-2,150 BCE, Iraq. Indicates the
importance of domestication and the plow. The plow allowed for surplus
food, and drastically changed the course of civilization in Afro-Eurasia.
- Indus
Weights – 2,600-1,900 BCE, India. India starts to be a state: these
chert cubes were identical across the civilization, increase by
predictable ratios, and were almost certainly used in trade.
- Egyptian
Mathematical Papyrus – 1,550 BCE, Egypt. The Rhind Mathematical
Papyrus demonstrates both the advanced levels of ancient mathematics and
the development of papyrus, which will lead to paper.
- Egyptian
Statue of Ramses II – 1,250 BCE, Egypt. To rule an empire put
your face everywhere: Ramses II’s multitudinous statues exemplify state
propaganda.
- Chinese Zhou
Vessel – 1,100-1,000 BCE, China. This complex bronze work, indicating
advanced society, was created for Chinese ancestor worship.
- Assyrian
Reliefs – 700-681 BCE, Iraq. Assyrians first carved out the Middle East
as we know it. Reliefs depict refugees of a territorial war that defined
the age of early empire.
- Nineveh
Flood Tablet – 700-600 BCE, Iraq. Tells the flood story
in a non-Biblical context, in the Epic of Gilgamesh: the first surviving
work of literature.
- Turkish Gold
Coin – 550 BCE, Turkiye. Money! Standardization of purity in metal
means moving away from beer rationing.
- Persian
Chariot Model – 500-300 BCE, Tajikistan. The gold model
depicts the nature of the enormous Persian state, with its famous roads.
- Greek
Parthenon Sculpture: Centaur and Lapith – 440 BCE,
Greece. Classical Greece is symbolized in marble showing the struggle
between brutishness and reason.
- Greek
Ostracism Shard – 486-461 BCE, Greece. Potsherd with name
inscribed exemplifies Athenian democracy, and their social-legal system.
- Peruvian
Textile – 300-200 BCE, Peru. Evidence of complex society and artisanship
in the Americas, these cloths were used to wrap mummified bodies.
- Indian Palm
Leaf Manuscript – 252 BCE, India. Shows the development of
Sanskrit in the subcontinent, and begins to codify the texts of Hinduism.
- Indian
Pillar of Ashoka – 238 BCE, India. Ashoka is generally the
textbook case of benevolent monarchy, and these pillars mark the
unification of India under empire and influence of Buddhism on India.
- Egyptian
Mummy – 300-200 BCE, Egypt. Ptolemaic mummy symbolizes influence of
post-Alexander Mediterranean, co-opting ancient traditions under new Greek
rule.
- Chinese
Terracotta Soldier – 210-209 BCE, China. Guardian of the Qin
emperor’s tomb, and representative of his labor force and new imperialism.
- Roman Head
of Augustus – 27-25 BCE, Sudan. Emblemic of the Pax
Romana and influence of the Roman Empire’s culture beyond its own borders.
- Chinese Han
Lacquer Cup – 4 CE. Craftsmanship details show the
influence of the critical Chinese bureaucracy and state-sponsored
manufacturing.
- Roman Silver
Cup – 5-15 CE, Israel. Juxtaposition of Roman homosexuality as both
idealized and realistic.
- North
American Otter Pipe – 200 BCE - 100 CE, USA. Emblemizes the
role of shaman animals and tobacco in North America.
- Mexican
Ceremonial Ballgame Belt – 100-500 CE, Mexico. Shows state sponsored
religious-tinged sports, and the influence of early Mesoamerican cultures
upon millennia of Maya and their descendents.
- Gandhara
Seated Buddha – 100-300 CE, Pakistan. An early example of
depicting Buddha in physical form, it also shows the influence of
classical European style in Asian art.
- Iranian
Silver Plate showing Shapur II – 309-379 CE, Iran. Shows the role
of Zoroastrianism in Persia, reacting to the rise of Christianity.
- Roman Jesus
Mosaic – 300-400 CE, UK. Depicts Jesus as Christ, combined with
Classical imagery, found on the outskirts of the Roman Empire in the UK.
- Chinese Jin
Dynasty Scroll Painting – 400-700 CE, China. One of the earliest
paintings, describes Chinese values, on silk.
- Arabic Gold
Coins of Abd Al-Malik – 696/697 CE, Syria. The juxtaposition of
two coins minted a year apart define the moment when the new faith of
Islam forbade images of people.
- Moche
Warrior Pot – 100-700 CE, Peru. Symbolizes the
influence of ceramics in South America and the importance of warrior
culture.
- Maya Relief
of Bloodletting – 723-726 CE, Mexico. Portrays the historic
importance of blood as the most valuable substance in the Latin American
world and the power of the religious caste.
- Chinese Tang
Tomb Figures – 728 CE, China. Displays China’s
revitalization after a long period of small kingdoms, and Silk Road
influences in design.
- Javanese
Borobudur Buddha Head –780-840 CE, Indonesia. Represents the
extent of Buddhism throughout Asia and an era of advanced architecture in
Southeast Asia.
- Abbasid
Harem Wall Painting Fragments – 800-900 CE, Iraq. Represents the
power and isolation of court women worldwide, specifically from the
Abbasid empire.
- German
Lothair Crystal – 855-869 CE, Germany? Illustrates the
medieval legal attitudes based on the Bible and artistic craftsmanship of
the Carolingian Renaissance.
- Sri Lankan
Tara Statue – 700-900 CE, Sri Lanka. Evokes the
dialogue between Buddhism and Hinduism in South Asia, as formerly Hindu
kingdoms increasingly adopted the Buddhist faith and visual language.
- Viking Hoard – 927 CE,
UK. Vikings plundered Northern Europe, and spread their influence
throughout the North Atlantic.
- Japanese
Bronze Mirror – 1100-1200 CE, Japan. Displays symbolism
of Japanese court life as they developed an aesthetic distinct from
Chinese influence.
- African
Kilwa Pottery Shards – 900-1400 CE. Evidence of African trade
with Asia, and the rise of Swahili East Africa due to Bantu migrations.
- Rapa Nui
Moai – 1250-1500 CE, Chile. Shows the extent of the Polynesian
settlers across the Pacific.
- Spanish
Hebrew Astrolabe – 1345-1355 CE, Spain. Indication of the
religious tolerance and scientific advancement of medieval Muslim Spain.
- Chinese Yuan
Vases – 1351 CE, China. Blue and white porcelain, China, was invented
during the reign of Kublai Khan, depicting the immersion of Mongols into
the Chinese legacy.
- Indian Shiva
and Parvati Sculpture – 1100-1300 CE, India. Demonstrates the
Sub-continent's sexual mores and Hindu spiritualism reacting to Islam.
- Byzantine
Icon of the Triumph of Orthodoxy – 1350-1400 CE, Turkiye. Represents
the diminishing role of the Orthodox Church and Byzantine Empire, as well
as their iconographic heritage.
- Chinese Ming
Banknote – 1375 CE, China. Paper money!
- French
Holy Thorn Reliquary – 1390 CE, France.
Signifies the return of wealth to Europe, tied to the Church, after the
Crusades.
- Nigerian Ife
Head – 1400-1500 CE, Nigeria. Shows a West African terminus of trade
routes and metallurgical brilliance.
- Florentine
artist Michelangelo’s David – 1504 CE,
Florence. Represents the high Italian Renaissance, the reemergence of
classical art, and the emphasis of individualism.
- Taino Ritual
Seat – 1200-1500 CE, Hispaniola. Spiritual object of the Caribbean
peoples mostly wiped out by Columbus.
- Inca
Gold Llama – 1500 CE, Peru. Incas
were dependent both upon these animals, and the gold it’s made of.
- German
artist Durer’s Rhinoceros – 1515 CE, Germany. Symbolizes the
emergence of the Portuguese empire and Northern artistic Renaissance.
- Ottoman
Tughra of Suleiman the Magnificent – 1520-1566
CE, Turkiye. Ne plus ultra of Arabic calligraphy, Ottoman strength.
- Benin Plaque – 1500-1600
CE, Nigeria. Depicts the interplay of Portuguese traders and African
monarchs.
- Aztec
Double-Headed Serpent – 1400-1550 CE, Mexico. Signifies the
wealth, trade networks, and religious symbols of the Aztecs.
- Spanish
Pieces of Eight – 1589-1598 CE, Bolivia. First global
currency, indicator of the wealth of the Spanish empire.
- Mexican
Codex Map – 1570-1600 CE, Mexico. Emblematic of the
Catholic influence in the New World showing new church construction.
- Mughal
Miniature – 1610 CE, India. Shows the interplay of
Islamic and Hindu religion with the former’s introduction to India.
- German
Reformation Centenary Broadsheet – 1617 CE, Germany. Protestant
recruitment poster for Thirty Years War which represents the advent of
printing in Europe.
- Japanese
Porcelain Elephants – 1650-1700 CE, Japan. Indicates the
introduction of porcelain to Japan, and the creation of products for
European markets via the Dutch during the Tokugawa Shogunate.
- Iranian
Shi’a Religious Standard – 1650-1700 CE, Iran. Emblematic of the
Islamic split as the Persian Safavids became Shi'a.
- Javanese
Shadow Puppet – 1600-1800, Indonesia. Depicts the unique
heritage of Hinduism and Islam in Southeast Asia.
- British
Refracting Telescope – 1740 CE, UK. Developed by Newton,
represents early scientific revolution, lenscrafting, and changing
understanding of humanity’s place in the cosmos.
- Akan Drum – 1730-1745
CE, Ghana. West African drum, found in Virginia, representative of the
Atlantic slave trade.
- Australian
Aboriginal Bark Shield – 1770 CE, Australia. Indicative of 60,000
years of technological development, inter-Australian trade networks, and
European contact – being damaged by James Cook.
- North
American Buckskin Map – 1774-1775 CE, USA. Territorial
negotiating device used between Native Americans and Europeans, in light
of their role in the Seven Years War.
- British
Brown Bess – 1740-1770 CE, UK. Musket that was used in
the American Revolution, as well as other revolutions of the era, such as
the Musket Wars in New Zealand.
- British HMS
Beagle Chronometer – 1795-1805 CE, UK. Artifact of the naval
importance to the British Empire, the standardization of time, and
Darwin’s voyages.
- British
Inventor Stephenson’s Rocket – 1829 CE,
UK. Introduction of the steam locomotive that began replacing animal labor
and transportation, emblematic of the early industrial revolution.
- Japanese
artist Hokusai’s The Great Wave – 1829-32 CE, Japan. Expresses the
influence of Europe after centuries of isolation, wood block techniques.
- British
Early Victorian Tea Set – 1840-45 CE, UK. Shows the extent of the
British empire’s trading and overseas industry, as well as a rising
consumer middle class.
- British
Early Syringe – 1853 CE, UK. Example of vaccine medicine
and the developing understanding of human anatomy.
- British Rose
Diagram – 1858 CE, UK. Invented by Florence Nightingale, this graph
depicts deaths due to disease in the British colonial army and the rise of
statistics and graphing for understanding information.
- Brazilian
Book ‘O Livro Do Povo’ – 1863 CE, Brazil. Brazilian primary
reader that marks the transition in the West to public education
systems and mass literacy.
- Sudanese
Slit Drum – 1800-1900 CE, Sudan. Representative of
the fault line between Saharan Islamic and Sub-Saharan Africa, as well as
European influences on the region in the ‘scramble for Africa’.
- British
Phrenology Bust – 1872 CE, UK. Shows the prevalence of
pseudoscience and emergence of psychology, as people pivoted towards a new
understanding of mental health.
- American
Tabulating Machine – 1890 CE, USA. Set up the punch-card system
that led to computers, and reflects the massive influx of European
immigrants to the United States.
- German
Photograph of Wife’s Hand – 1895 CE, Germany. X-Ray image by Rontgen
that opened up the study of radiation in physics and changed medicine.
- British
‘Votes for Women’ Penny – 1913 CE, UK. Exemplifies the Western
suffrage movement of the turn of the century.
- American
Ford Model T – 1915 CE, USA. Represents the modern
factory assembly line and the automotive and petroleum industries.
- Russian
Revolutionary Plate – 1921 CE, USSR. Marks the end of the czars
and first communist country, as well as the emergence of modern art.
- Dutch
Bakelite Radio – 1934 CE, Netherlands. Demonstrates the
ubiquity of plastics and new changes in mass communication and
consumption.
- American
Architectural Drawing – 1939-40 CE, USA. Depicting his plan for a
college campus, this work by Mies Van Der Rohe typifies the emergence of
modern architecture.
- Polish
Yellow Star – 1939-1945 CE, Poland. Badge identifying
Jewish concentration camp prisoners during the Holocaust.
- American
Trinitite – 1945 CE, USA. Mineral created from the
Trinity atomic weapon test, stand-in for nuclear weapon proliferation and
the effects of radiation on radiocarbon dating.
- American
‘DDT Is Good For Me’ – 1947 CE, USA. Poster shows the influence
of big science, advertising, and the rise of the environmental movement.
- American RCA
TK-40 Television Camera – 1953 CE, USA. Television and mass media
built upon the photographic and motion picture developments of the
previous decades.
- American
Contraceptive Pill Bottle – 1960 CE, USA. Revolutionized social sexual
mores and represents modern medication.
- American
Robot – 1966 CE, USA. Dubbed ‘Shakey’, this was the first modern,
programmable, robot that could react to its environment.
- South
African ANC Poster – 1986, South Africa. An example of the role
of civil rights movements and protests during the 20th century.
- American
Space Shuttle –1992 CE, USA. Shows humanity’s first steps
leaving earth and rocket technology.
- Mozambique
Throne of Weapons – 2001 CE, Mozambique. Denotes the legacy
of post-colonial violence in Africa.
- British
Taxidermy of Dolly the Sheep – 2003 CE, UK. First genetic clone,
representing modern decoding and manipulation of genes.
- American
iPhone – 2007 CE, USA. Epitomizes global communications, touchscreen
technology, and the internet revolution.
- UAE Sharia
Credit Card – 2009 CE, United Arab Emirates. No money!
Plastic! The Middle East’s new wealth.
- Chinese
Solar Lamp – 2010 CE, China. Sustainable energy for
the developing world and emergence of LEDs.
