Neil MacGregor's story takes him to the end of the Ice Age, as the first farmers created objects to consume new foods, venerate new gods and even take a new look at sex
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- by year (5)
- Today's object
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- A History of the World in 100 Objects
- After the Ice Age: Food and Sex (9000 - 3500 BC)
After the Ice Age: Food and Sex (9000 - 3500 BC)
Available now on BBC iPlayer
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Listen to the latest programme
Jomon Pot
Listen now (15 minutes)
Available since Fri, 29 Jan 2010.
5/5. Neil MacGregor tells the story of a 7,000-year-old Japanese pot and a forgotten people.
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Also available
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Maya Maize God Statue
Listen now (15 minutes)
Available since Thu, 28 Jan 2010.
4/5. Neil MacGregor tells the story of a Maize God made of stone by the Mayan people.
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Egyptian Clay Model of Cattle
Listen now (15 minutes)
Available since Wed, 27 Jan 2010.
3/5. Neil MacGregor considers the state of culture in Egypt before the pharaohs.
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Ain Sakri Lovers Figurine
Listen now (15 minutes)
Available since Tue, 26 Jan 2010.
2/5. Neil MacGregor continues a material history of human society with the story of two lovers.
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Bird-shaped Pestle
Listen now (15 minutes)
Available since Mon, 25 Jan 2010.
1/5. Neil MacGregor investigates early attempts at cookery.
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Featured
Where these objects were found
6 Bird-shaped Pestle
7 Ain Sakhri Lovers Figurine
8 Egyptian Clay Model of Cattle
9 Maya Maize God Statue
10 Jomon Pot
After the Ice Age: Food and Sex (9000 - 3500 BC)
The development of farming occurred independently in at least seven different parts of the world at the end of the last Ice Age around 10,000 years ago. This slow revolution took many centuries and had profound implications on how humans lived. Tending crops and domesticating animals meant that humans had to settle in one place for the first time. Farming also created a food surplus that allowed larger groups of people to live together. This led to the formation of the first villages. Farming not only changed how people lived but how they thought. New gods were created to explain animal behaviour, fertility and the seasonal cycles of crops.
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