Windows on the World
Jerry Brotton shows how maps can be tools of power and snapshots of history. Henry VIII's maps of the British coast helped him exert control over the world.
In a series about the extraordinary stories behind maps, Professor Jerry Brotton uncovers how maps aren't simply about getting from A to B, but are revealing snapshots of defining moments in history and tools of political power and persuasion.
Visiting the world's first known map, etched into the rocks of a remote alpine hillside 3,000 years ago, Brotton explores how each culture develops its own unique, often surprising way of mapping. As Henry VIII's stunning maps of the British coastline from a bird's-eye view show, they were also used to exert control over the world.
During the Enlightenment, the great French Cassini dynasty pioneered the western quest to map the world with greater scientific accuracy, leading also to the British Ordnance Survey. But these new scientific methods were challenged by cultures with alternative ways of mapping, such as in a Polynesian navigator's map which has no use for north, south and east.
As scientifically accurate map-making became a powerful tool of European expansion, the British carved the state of Iraq out of the Middle East. When the British drew up Iraq's boundaries, they had devastating consequences for the nomadic tribes of Mesopotamia.
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Clip
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Origins
Duration: 01:53
Music Played
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The xx
Intro
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The Cinematic Orchestra
All Things
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The Cinematic Orchestra
All Things
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Explosions in the Sky
So Long Lonesome
Credits
Role | Contributor |
---|---|
Presenter | Jerry Brotton |
Director | Rosie Schellenberg |
Producer | Rosie Schellenberg |
Series Producer | Annabel Hobley |
Executive Producer | Chris Granlund |
Broadcasts
- Sun 18 Apr 2010 21:00成人快手 Four & 成人快手 HD
- Mon 19 Apr 2010 01:15
- Tue 20 Apr 2010 19:30成人快手 HD
- Thu 22 Apr 2010 21:00
- Fri 23 Apr 2010 03:55
- Thu 24 Feb 2011 20:00
- Fri 25 Feb 2011 01:25
- Wed 9 Mar 2011 21:00成人快手 HD
- Wed 22 Jun 2011 20:00
- Thu 23 Jun 2011 01:25
- Sat 25 Oct 2014 20:00
- Sun 26 Oct 2014 02:00
- Thu 8 Jan 2015 22:00
- Tue 3 Nov 2015 22:00
- Tue 14 Nov 2017 23:00
- Fri 31 Aug 2018 00:00
- Thu 5 Sep 2019 20:00
- Fri 6 Sep 2019 02:00
- Sun 20 Jun 2021 20:00
- Mon 21 Jun 2021 02:25