A History of the World in 100 Objects - The Beginning of Science and Literature (1500 - 700 BC) - Flood Tablet

The Director of the British Museum, Neil MacGregor, retells the history of human development from the first stone axe to the credit card, using 100 selected objects from the Museum. A small tablet was found in modern Iraq and brought back to the British Museum. When it was translated, back in 1872, it turned out to be an account of a great flood that significantly pre-dated the famous Biblical tale of Noah. This discovery caused a storm around the world and led to a passionate debate about the truth of the Bible, about storytelling and the universality of legend. In a week that looks at the emergence new ways of expression like literature and mathematics, Neil introduces us first to the British Museum's provocative Flood Tablet.