A History of the World in 100 Objects: Gold Coins of Abd Al-Malik

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. This week he explores the world along and beyond the Silk Road in the 7th century AD at a time when the teachings of the prophet Muhammad were transforming the Middle East forever. Today Neil looks at how the Syrian capital Damascus was rapidly becoming the centre of a new Islamic empire. He tells the story through two gold coins that perfectly capture the moment, with contributions from the historian Hugh Kennedy and the anthropologist Madawi Al-Rasheed