Do you believe in soulmates? You may after listening to the Greek story of "The Wheelie People," which depicts the mythological change from double-people creatures who are split into two beings, forever doomed to scour the earth for...

More than twenty-five free audio or video files from renowned scholars which provide some in-depth literary criticism as well as the scope of literary history. Many of these are university lectures while others are interviews from...

In natural history museums around the world, art and science intersect in the design of dioramas and other exhibits. We'll talk with some of the artists and scientists involved.

Head of an Oni, a ruler of Ife in Nigeria, one of medieval Africa's most powerful and wealthy kingdoms. With deeply naturalistic features, it is widely considered as one of the greatest achievements of world art. Neil MacGregor, Director...

Albrecht Durer's famous engraving of an Indian rhino. Neil MacGregor, Director of the British Museum, tells the story of one of the most enduring objects in art history, and one of the most duplicated: Durer's image of a rhino - an...

Found in France and dating back 13,000 years, this is a carving of two swimming reindeer. The creator of this carving was one of the first humans to express their world through art. But why did they do it? Neil MacGregor, Director of the...

Sculpture of a half-man, half-horse rearing over a dead human from the Parthenon in Athens, Greece. Carved out of marble around 440BC, these beautiful figures continue to generate huge controversy around the world for the fact that they...

Plaque showing aspects of Benin court life. Neil MacGregor, Director of the British Museum, examines some of Africa's most famous artworks, the Benin Plaques, and the effect these brass portraits first had when they arrived in London at...

A 7,000-year-old Japanese clay pot has managed to remain almost perfectly intact. Pots began in Japan around 17,000 years ago and by the time this pot was made had achieved a remarkable sophistication. This simple clay object makes a...

Hokusai woodblock print. Neil MacGregor, Director of the British Museum, examines The Great Wave by Hokusai, one of the defining images of the power of the sea. He discovers its production initiated a wider awareness of Japanese art and...

Moai statue from the Island of Rapa Nui, also known as Easter Island. Director of the British Museum, Neil MacGregor, looks at one of the most instantly recognisable sculptures in the world: a giant stone carving from Easter Island in...

Colossal statue of Ramesses II, one of ancient Egypt's most famous and successful pharaohs. Neil MacGregor, Director of the British Museum, considers the achievements of Ramesses II, a ruler who built monuments all over Egypt, inspired a...

The Basse Yutz Flagons - two bronze drinking flagons made by the Celts in Northern Europe 2,500 years ago and considered to be the most important and earliest examples of Celtic art. Writer Jonathan Meades and Barry Cunliffe help...

A palm-sized stone sculpture made in Northern Israel 12,000 years ago clearly shows a couple entwined in the act of love. Sculptor Marc Quinn responds to the stone as art, and archaeologist Dr Ian Hodder considers the Natufian society...

A pair of Japanese porcelain elephants. Neil MacGregor, Director of the British Museum looks at how the skill of porcelain production spread across the Far East. Kakiemon, named after a Japanese potter, was much desired by the European...

Turquoise ornament shaped as a serpent. Neil MacGregor, Director of the British Museum, describes the Aztecs, who created this double-headed serpent from tiny pieces of turquoise, and the Spanish conquest of their culture. Aztec...

A small, bronze sculpture of a man leaping over a bull from the island of Crete is the starting point for an exploration of the Minoans, their rich bronze making tradition and the role of the bull in myth and legend. Neil MacGregor,...