History of the World in 100 Objects (Part 2)

1) Bird shaped pestle - from Papua New Guinea. Artistic not just functional, and shows the beginnings of humans growing and eating new foods. By growing and cooking food that is harder for other animals to digest (they can't grind with pestle and mortar!) helps us move up the food chain and do better than our animal neighbours.

2) Ain Sakri Lovers figurine - found near Bethlehem, showing a couple having sex. Indicates new importance of relationships etc. Can't remember a lot else.

3) Egyptian Clay Model of Cattle - made from Egyptian mud 5,500 years ago, long before the Pharoahs. Cattle then were not initially used for beef as they were too tough and inedible, and human stomachs at the time could not tolerate cow's milk (we had to evolve our stomachs over hundreds of years to tolerate it). Cows were used for carrying things, and people drank their blood for nutrients and protein. This model was buried with its owner, probably an Egyptian of modest means.

4) Maya Maize God Statue - The Mayans believed that everyone was descended from Maize. Maize is the main staple crop in much of South America. It's notoriously difficult to refine for human consumption, and was worshipped as a god for providing food for people.

5) Jomon Pot - The Jomon culture in Japan was a fishing community. This is a 7,000 year old pot, quite decorated, but the Japanese have been making pots for 17,000 years. It's not hard to imagine one day a lump of clay accidentally falling into a fire, becoming set and suddenly people discovered how useful they were. The invention of pots also revolutionised cookery, as people could now cook stews and many other dishes with a mix of ingredients. The Jomon culture obviously weren't very good at washing their dishes because scientists have been able to analyze the remains in the dish from 7,000 years ago and identify some of the ingredients in this early stew!