TEDTalks: Ancient Clues Season 1 Episode 14 Neil MacGregor: 2,600 Years of History in One Object

Neil MacGregor, former director of the British Museum, takes the TED stage to share the fascinating story of a single object - a small clay cylinder with cuneiform writing known as the Cyrus Cylinder. The cylinder was created in 539 BC by Persian king Cyrus the Great, and commemorates his conquest of Babylon and his treatment of its people. MacGregor uses this object as a lens through which to view the complex and interconnected history of the Middle East, from the rise of the Persian Empire to the present day. As he recounts the story of the Cyrus Cylinder and its travels through history, MacGregor highlights the ways in which objects both reflect and shape the ideas and beliefs of the societies that create them. He challenges us to consider the ways in which our own objects - the artifacts of our own lives - might tell a similar story, and encourages us to look to the past for clues to our present and future. Through his witty and insightful storytelling, MacGregor brings the ancient world vividly to life, and invites us to see ourselves as part of a larger and more enduring human story.