A History of the World in 100 Objects

Peter Lewis tells a story of love, separation and hardship, through the object he added to the BBC History of the World website: a portrait of a private soldier's sweetheart, painted secretly for his Uncle Bryn in the Auschwitz concentration camp.

A lamp that runs off sunlight. Neil MacGregor, Director of the British Museum, looks at the final object in the series: a solar-powered lamp with a charger that can bring cheap light and power to people around the world with no access to the electric grid. Simple, cheap and clean – is this the revolutionary technology of our future? With contributions from Aloka Sarder, a mother and adult student in West Bengal, and Nick Stern, expert on the economics of climate change.

A plastic credit card. Neil MacGregor, Director of the British Museum, explores the changing role of money in the modern world by looking at a Shari'a compliant credit card. How is modern banking adapting for new markets and what are the moral issues confronting global finance? With contributions from Mervyn King, Governor of the Bank of England, and Razi Fakih of HSBC bank.

Print by the British artist David Hockney. Neil MacGregor, Director of the British Museum, explores the sexual revolution of the 1960s through a print by David Hockney which shows two men in bed together. The work was one of a series created as the British government was planning to decriminalise sex between male partners over the age of 21. Including contributions by the artist himself and Shami Chakrabarti, director of the human rights group Liberty.

Decorated plate from St Petersburg. Neil MacGregor, Director of the British Museum, explores the Russian Revolution by looking at a plate painted with propaganda for the new Communist state. The plate was made at the Imperial Porcelain Factory, St Petersburg, in 1901 but was decorated 20 years later in the same factory, which had become the State Porcelain Factory in the newly-named city of Petrograd. With contributions by Mikhail Piotrovsky and Eric Hobsbawn.

A defaced coin from 1903. Neil MacGregor, Director of the British Museum, explores the rise of mass political engagement in Britain and the emergence of the suffragettes by examining a penny coin, on which the image of Edward VII has been defaced with the words 'Votes for women'. With contributions from Helena Kennedy QC and the artist Felicity Powell.

A wooden drum from central Africa. Neil MacGregor, Director of the British Museum, examines a buffalo-shaped drum from Sudan which was played in a court orchestra and used to transmit messages or summon warriors to war. The drum was captured by the British and Egyptian army at the Battle of Omdurman, near Khartoum, in 1898 and presented to Queen Victoria by Lord Kitchener.

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 became emblematic of the opening up of the country in the second half of the 19th century. With contributions by Donald Keene and Christine Guth.

Wedgwood pottery tea set. Neil MacGregor, Director of the British Museum, looks at the history of Britain's relationship with tea by examining an early Victorian stoneware set made by the Staffordshire pottery firm of Wedgwood. He discovers how mass-produced pottery and porcelain popularised the beverage. With contributions by Celina Fox and Monique Simmonds.

A 19th century chronometer. Neil MacGregor, Director of the British Museum, looks at an instrument that first helped Europeans to navigate with precision around the world - a marine chronometer. In particular the chronometer that accompanied Charles Darwin on his historic voyage around the world on board HMS Beagle. With contributions by geographer Nigel Thrift and geneticist Steve Jones.

Inscribed jade disc. Neil MacGregor, Director of the British Museum, explores life in 18th-century China through a jade disc, or bi. This disc was owned by the Qianlong Emperor of the Qing dynasty at a time when the country's culture was much admired by intellectuals of the European Enlightenment. With contributions by historian Jonathan Spence and the poet Yang Lian.

Aboriginal shield collected by Captain Cook. Neil MacGregor, Director of the British Museum, looks at a shield owned by one of the first Indigenous Australians to set eyes on Europeans, as they descended on Botany Bay in 1770. What can this object tell us about the early encounters between two such different cultures? With contributions by Phil Gordon, of the Australian Museum, Sydney, and the historian Maria Nugent.

Map of the area between the Mississippi and Ohio rivers. Neil MacGregor, Director of the British Museum, explores the differing attitudes towards land and living of Europeans and Native Americans in the 18th century. He looks at a buckskin map drawn up by a Native American as the British negotiated for land between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi. With contributions by cartographer Martin Lewis and historian David Edmunds.

Feather helmet worn by Hawaiian chief. Neil MacGregor, Director of the British Museum, examines a chieftain's helmet given to Captain James Cook after he landed in Hawaii in 1778. He looks at the impact of Cook's mapping and collecting expeditions in the Pacific. With contributions from the anthropologist Nicholas Thomas and the Hawaiian academics Marques Hanalei Marzan, Kyle Nakanelua and Kaholokula.

18th century African drum. Neil MacGregor, Director of the British Museum, examines an African drum that was taken to America during the slave trade- where drumming was to prove an important cultural influence. The object was later brought to England by the physician and collector Hans Sloane. With contributions by historian Anthony Appiah and writer Bonnie Greer.