A History of the World in 100 Objects: North American Otter Pipe

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. Neil's story arrives in North America 2,000 years ago and a stone pipe used in ritual. It is one of hundreds of pipes shaped as animals that were found in huge mounds in present day Ohio. Neil pieces together the evidence for how these pipes were used. Tony Benn and the artist Maggie Hambling consider the allure of smoking from a modern perspective, and Native American historian Gabrielle Tayac describes how the pipe formed a central role in traditional ritual and religious life