This week Neil MacGregor is exploring the great empires of the world around 1500 - from the Inca in South America to the Ming in China and the Timurids in the Middle East.
- Programmes:
- on BBC iPlayer (5)
- Previous programmes:
- by year (5)
- Today's object
- Suffragette-defaced penny
- BBC Radio 4
- Programmes
- A History of the World in 100 Objects
- The Threshold of the Modern World (1375-1550 AD)
The Threshold of the Modern World (1375-1550 AD)
Available now on BBC iPlayer
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Listen to the latest programme
Durer's Rhinoceros
Listen now (15 minutes)
Available since Fri, 17 Sep 2010.
5/5. Neil MacGregor discusses Durer's Rhinoceros.
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Also available
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Jade Dragon Cup
Listen now (15 minutes)
Available since Thu, 16 Sep 2010.
4/5. Neil MacGregor with a jade cup that belonged a great leader of the Timurid Empire.
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Inca Gold Llama
Listen now (15 minutes)
Available since Wed, 15 Sep 2010.
3/5. Neil MacGregor with a model of a llama - the animal behind the Inca Empire.
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Ming Banknote
Listen now (15 minutes)
Available since Tue, 14 Sep 2010.
2/5. Neil MacGregor with a 14th century bank note - from Ming Dynasty China.
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Tughra of Suleiman the Magnificent
Listen now (15 minutes)
Available since Mon, 13 Sep 2010.
1/5. Neil MacGregor with the personal monogram of Suleyman the Magnificent.
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Featured
Where these objects were found
71 Tughra of Suleiman the Magnificent
72 Ming banknote
73 Inca gold llama
74 Jade dragon cup
75 Dürer's 'Rhinoceros'
The Threshold of the Modern World (AD 1375-1550)
In about 1450 a string of great empires dominated the world. The Ottoman Turks were threatening Europe with invasion. Asia was dominated by Ming China and the Timurid Empire, but the world’s largest state was the Inca Empire in South America. Europe, in contrast, was a patchwork of squabbling powers. Yet there were the first signs of a shift towards a connection of all the world’s continents by European exploration that would mark the beginning of a recognisably modern world. These new maritime empires brought Europe’s fragmented kingdoms great wealth. The rhinoceros that inspired Durer’s iconic print was a present from an Indian Sultan to a Portuguese governor.
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