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The Great Wave of Kanagawa, painted by Hokusai around 1830, became internationally famous as Japan opened up to the outside world during the Meiji era from the 1860s onwards. Emmanuel Lozerand, professor of Japanese language and literature explores the meaning of this iconic work.

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<p>The Great Wave of Kanagawa, painted by Hokusai around 1830, became internationally famous as Japan opened up to the outside world during the Meiji era from the 1860s onwards. Emmanuel Lozerand, professor of Japanese language and literature explores the meaning of this iconic work.</p>

Hokusai: The Great Wave

Emmanuel Lozerand, professor of Japanese language and literature explores the meaning of this iconic work created in 1830.

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The statue of the tyrant killers Harmodius and Aristogeiton was erected in the 5th century BC as a memorial to the victory of democracy over tyranny on the Agora of Athens. The motif was also adopted on Greek vases and coins. Historian Vincent Azoulay explains how the depiction of the tyrant killers has evolved over the centuries, culminating in the most controversial of all contemporary monumental sculptures.

The Statue of Tyrannicide

The statue of Harmodius and Aristogeiton was erected in the 5th century BC as a memorial to the victory of democracy over tyranny.

The first magnifying glasses or "reading stones" were used in monasteries in the Middle Ages. Reading glasses appeared in cities such as Florence in the 13th century and accompanied the invention of paper. Claire Angotti, historian who studies tools related to knowledge, tells us more.

The Invention of Eye Glasses

The first magnifying glasses or "reading stones" were used in monasteries in the Middle Ages

A powerful symbol of justice meted out by the royal hand, the hand of justice played a prominent place in the coronation rituals of the Kings of France. The symbol first emerged in the 13th century to represent how kings of France delegated the management of the justice system to the courts.

The Hand of Justice

The hand of justice played a prominent place in coronation rituals in France

Symbol of the industrial revolution at the end of the 18th century, the extraction of coal catapulted the world into the modern era. It also galvanised the labour movement and continues to be burned to this day. But it will accelerate climate change.

Coal: The Poisonous Black Diamond

Symbol of the industrial revolution at the end of the 18th century, the extraction of coal catapulted the world into the modern era.

As a tattoo or worn as a pendant, the Hamsa or Hand of Fatima can symbolise many things. Originally from North Africa and the Middle East, its symbolism and religious significance varies widely.

The Hand of Fatima: A Universal Symbol?

As a tattoo or worn as a pendant, the Hamsa or Hand of Fatima can symbolise many things.

Peter Durand invented the tin can, a small but mighty innovation that changed the world. The method meant Western powers were able to feed entire armies all around the world as Europe wrestled for global dominance.

The Tin Can: Conserve and Survive

Peter Durand invented the tin can, a small but mighty innovation that changed the world

Mummies are not only from Ancient Egypt, the desire to preserve the dead runs throughout history. 19th century embalming practices, for example, revealed a new relationship to mourning and the afterlife. Historian Anne Carol takes us through our relationship to the body and death.

Mummies are not only from Ancient Egypt, the desire to preserve the dead runs throughout history.

The Mummy and its Metamorphosis

In the 18th century, patterned fabrics became fashionable and were used both in dresses and in bourgeois furniture upholstery. This trend was the result of the international cotton trade from India, an exchange that foreshadowed globalisation. Indiennes fabrics are considered the first specimen of "fast fashion", as we know it today.

Indienne Fabrics and the Birth of Fast Fashion

Indiennes fabric from the 17th century is considered the first specimen of "fast fashion"

While the shipping container is instantly recognisable in today's era of globalisation, its ancestor in Greco-Roman Antiquity looked very different: it was the amphora. Patrick Boucheron and the historian Sarah Rey reveal the secrets and meanings behind this "simple" terracotta object.

The Amphora

While the shipping container is instantly recognisable in today's era of globalisation, its ancestor in Greco-Roman Antiquity looked very different: it was the amphora

The heroicisation of athletes conflates their physical ability with personal economic success. The football shirt is at once a useful everyday object and the stuff of legend. It's the modern day, real life hero's cape.

The Football Shirt: The Modern Hero's Uniform

The football shirt is at once a useful everyday object and the stuff of legend

The ceremonial smoking pipe is Amerindian, but without a name from the Amerindian language. It was 'discovered' by French and British colonists who came into contact with the indigenous population in the 17th century. Amerindians then boarded French ships and took the pipe to the other side of the Atlantic, where it quickly became popular.

Ceremonial Smoking Pipes: Conflict and Resolution

 What was the original meaning of the 'peace pipe' used by Native Americans?

The Lumière brothers not only invented the cinematograph: in 1903 they also succeeded in fixing colours on glass plates. Looking at those images, time flattens. These long-dead models staring back through a now non-existent lens seem vivid and alive. But thirty years later, colour had once again been drained out of the frame. Historian Adrien Genoudet explains what happened.

Autochrome: Life in Colour

The oldest colour photography in the world distorts time: these long-dead models seem vivid and alive

Around 4 billion postcards were sent in France during the First World War as soldiers on the front kept in touch with family and loved ones back home. But did these postcards accurately depict what life was like at war?

The Postard - War Hero

Around 4 billion postcards were sent in France during the First World War. But did these postcards accurately depict what life was like at war?

With the advent of the modern cemetery, came the coffin. Gone were the days of mass graves and ossuaries. The adoption of the coffin results in the development of a funeral market as discreet as it is profitable.

Coffins Gain Ground

How changing customs created a booming death industry

The political history of the microphone throughout the 20th century is also the story of how free speech became democratised. This advance in technology triggered major cultural shifts, as the voiceless suddenly found they could make themselves very, very loud.

The Microphone

The political history of the microphone throughout the 20th century is also the story of how free speech became democratised

The gilded frame appeared in the Middle Ages transforming a work of art into a picture that could be bought and sold. Historian Charlotte Guichard explains how the invention of the frame made the modern art market, and art collections, possible.

The Picture Frame - A Window on the Art World

In the tropical colonies, Europeans wore a white pith helmet to protect themselves from the sun. This humble piece of headwear came to symbolise colonial oppression and reinforced the separation between coloniser and colonised.

The Colonial Pith Helmet

The history of tax returns is also the story of how the state slowly became more centralised and more controlling. From historical documents, to the most contemporary and computerised forms, this is the history of income tax returns (and tax evasion).

A History of Taxes

This is the history of income tax returns (and tax evasion)

China, after having been for centuries at the heart of a world where the adoption of Chinese customs, included how they ate, was the main criterion of civilisation, was looked down upon by the West in the 19th century. Historian Clément Fabre traces the history of the humble chopstick through the ages.

How Chopsticks Made the Chinese

Historian Clément Fabre traces the history of the humble chopstick through the ages.

Paris, 12 May 1588: the so-called "day of the barricades" marked a high point in the Wars of Religion, pitting Catholics against Protestants in 16th century France and Europe. Prompted by the Catholic League, Parisians piled rubbish and barrels full of stones to block the way of King Henry III's troops.

The Barricade: Fortifying an Insurrection

Polished axes from the Neolithic period were the tools used for perhaps the biggest change that man has brought about on Earth: the clearing of the land for agriculture.

Stone Age Axes - Clearing the Land

Napoleon's gray frock coat was a way of conveying to Europe that though he was now a statesman, he was first and foremost a man of war. Even more than the legendary bicorne, the frock coat became a piece of visual propaganda, proof of the Emperor's power.

Napoleon: Snappy Dresser?

Napoleon's gray frock coat was a way of conveying to Europe that though he was now a statesman, he was first and foremost a man of war

The pirate flag flies high at most carnivals and fancy dress parties, but it's got a long and violent history behind it. The scull and crossbones once played an important role in the creation of nation states and the concept of national sovereignty.

The Pirate Flag

The pirate flag flies high at most carnivals and fancy dress parties, but it's got a long and violent history behind it

In 1912 a German archaeologist discovered the bust of Nefertiti, wife of the Egyptian pharaoh Akhenaten, when he uncovered the workshop of an ancient artist at Amarna. The discovery of this beautiful sculpture caused a sensation at the time and chimed with contemporary ideals of feminine beauty

The Nefertiti Bust: The Birth of an Icon

In 1912 a German archaeologist discovered the bust of Nefertiti, wife of the Egyptian pharaoh Akhenaten, when he uncovered the workshop of an ancient artist at Amarna. 

Looking at history through the prism of one object. In this episode, the intrauterine device (IDU) in plastic or copper brought birth control to the masses in the 20th century. But this form of contraception has not always been a force for women’s liberation.

Birth Control: Emancipation or Forced Sterilisation?

The history of the intrauterine device (IDU) , this plastic or copper contraption that brought birth control to the masses.

Patrick Boucheron brings history to life through objects. With the inventions of photography the Turin shroud, a relic venerated for centuries, found a new lease of life as the photographic negatives seemed to confirm its sacred status. A relic in the age of mechanical reproduction.

The Turin Shroud - A Relic for the 20th Century

The parasol or beach umbrella is synonymous with summer beach holidays but it has not always been so. Historian Elsa Devienne tells us the social and cultural history of an object that has appeared on and disappeared from our beaches as fashion, tanning practices and our attitudes to our bodies change.

The Parasol and Beach Culture

The parasol or beach umbrella is synonymous with summer beach holidays but it has not always been so.

Claire Judde de Larivière, a specialist in Renaissance Venice, analyses how the drawing of lots partly reduced corruption and constituted a ritual that united the community of patricians in the Venetian Republic. We also understand what links the ballot box and the lottery box, throughout history.

The Lottery Ball and the Politics of Chance

Ostracism is still commonly used in our contemporary political vocabulary to designate exclusion and has its origins in Ancient Greece. Paulin Ismard, a specialist in the political anthropology of ancient Greece, traces the genealogy of a ritual that founded Athenian democracy.

Ostraca: A Piece of Clay Means Exile

Paulin Ismard, a specialist in the political anthropology of ancient Greece, traces the genealogy of a ritual that founded Athenian democracy.

Is it possible to write a history of our own reflection? Historian Philippe Artières, reflects on the mirror as an object and the action of observing oneself that for ordinary citizens only dates back to the nineteenth century.

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall

Is it possible to write a history of our own reflection? Historian Philippe Artières, reflects on the mirror as an object.

How did meat become a commodity? By transforming beef into a syrupy, energetic material, the chemist Justus von Liebig revolutionised mass nutrition with his extract of meat.

When Food Meets Chemistry

The object seems recent: its international standardisation is barely a century old, and yet questions of identification and control have never ceased to haunt the history of societies. For the passport was invented to control populations considered dangerous: Vagrants, deserters, illegal immigrants.

The Passport - A Paper Border

The object seems recent: its international standardisation is barely a century old, and yet questions of identification and control have never ceased to haunt the history of societies.

The history of the suit and tie, from the end of the 19th century onwards, overlaps with the Americanisation of the industrial world. Manuel Charpy deciphers the suit's ideal of dynamism and modernity and the social distinctions of the clothes we wear.

The Suit: Uniform of the Modern Man

In 12th century Sicily King Roger II had a ceremonial cloak made to show his power and magnificence with beautiful Arabic inscriptions adorning its hems. Religious historian Valérie Theis explores the history of this mysterious mantle

The Mantle of Roger II of Sicily

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Kitschy trash or misunderstood genius? Italo disco was the euro sound of the 1980s that many loved and many hated. This documentary looks at how big names of the genre like Sabrina Salerno and duo Righeira conquered the charts.

The Sparkling Sound of the 1980s

Kitschy trash or misunderstood genius? Italo disco was the euro sound of the 1980s that many loved and many hated

Italo Disco

Israeli choreographers Sharon Eyal and Gai Behar present their show Chapter 3: The Brutal Journey of the Heart at Nuits de Fourvière.

Nuits de Fourvière

The Brutal Journey of the Heart by Sharon Eyal & Gai Behar

Martin Ritter is a German organic farmer, with land in both Germany and Ukraine. All of a sudden, his livelihood is located in a war zone. With the help of the municipality of Ostheim, he decides to send aid to Ukraine and to welcome refugees.

Martin Ritter is a German organic farmer, with land in both Germany and Ukraine. When war broke out, everything changed.

Re: Farming in a War Zone

Young Korean musicians have been taking the world of classical music by storm. A new generation are winning the big prizes and pursuing successful careers in Europe and around the world. What makes these Korean classical artists so good? A documentary following the rising stars of K-Classic

The Korean Musical Mystery

Generation K-Classics

Kowloon Walled City in Hong Kong was the most densely populated area on Earth. 33,000 people settled on 2.5 hectares of land that was disputed between Chinese and British - meaning neither country asserted its authority there. This vertical slum was a hotbed of crime, but also full of factories, cheap shops and a strong community. This is a case for Crazy Borders. 

Kowloon: The Lawless Super City

This vertical slum was a hotbed of crime, but also full of factories, cheap shops and a strong community.

Crazy Borders

How can you misplace 80km2 of territory? In Mexico, the island of Bermeja had been on maps for generations. But when it came to actually finding the island... it seemed as if it had disappeared into thin air. And with the loss of Bermeja, Mexico lost a huge windfall of oil revenue in the Gulf of Mexico. This is a case for Crazy Borders. 

The Lost Island of Bermeja

The sea absorbs our carbon emissions, gives us plentiful food, and regulates our climate. A healthy sea is a healthy planet. But we can't stop stripping the sea of resources. Whether through overfishing or deep sea mining, humanity is destroying an ecosystem it can't live without.

Whether through overfishing or deep sea mining, humanity is destroying an ecosystem it can't live without.

Overexploited Oceans

Did you know that the Middle Ages is only a few kilometers off the French coast? A lord and his vassals live peacefully on the island of Sark where cars are not allowed. This is a case for Crazy Borders! 

Sark: A Modern Day Feudal Island

A lord and his vassals live peacefully on the island of Sark where cars are not allowed.

Planting trees against climate change: Ireland is reforesting its territory by growing spruces. But it's not just about being green, it's about profit. Wood is a big business... much to the displeasure of local environmental activists who want Ireland's forestry policy changed. 

Growing trees to be harvested for wood is big business - but what are the environmental ramifications? 

Re: Money Grows on Trees

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If a woman gave birth at the top of Mont Blanc, what nationality would the child be? For France, of course, the baby would be French. But not for Italy! The quarrel has been going on since 1860, when the divison of territory at the top of the mountain was unclearly defined... leaving each country to interpret the boundary more or less as they saw fit. This really is a case for Crazy Borders!

Mont Blanc: A High Altitude Dispute

If a woman gave birth at the top of Mont Blanc, what nationality would the child be?

The Russian enclave of Kaliningrad sits between Lithuania and Poland. Once German East Prussia, it is now home to 1 million Russian citizens. What is life like in this small territory now practically cut off from its EU neighbours since the war in Ukraine began?

Kaliningrad: Putin's Enclave

The Russian enclave of Kaliningrad sits between Lithuania and Poland and is now practically cut off from its EU neighbours since the war in Ukraine began.

ARTE Reportage

Did you know that the last war between France and Spain took place in the 1970s? It was the war of the stop signs in Llívia, a Spanish town - but in France, in the Pyrenees. This bizarre quirk is due to a treaty signed centuries ago. This really is a case for Crazy Borders! 

Llivia, Between France and Spain

Did you know that the last war between France and Spain took place in the 1970s?

In the town of Baarle, a body of a woman was discovered in a house... but before police could intervene, first authorities had to call a surveyor. Baarle is crisscrossed over with a winding frontier between the Netherlands and Belgium, and police needed to know which country was responsible for investigating the killing. One half of the house was Dutch, the other half was Belgian. This is a case for Crazy Borders! 

Baarle, a Town of Two Nations

A city divided between Belgium and the Netherlands, and scene of a murder? Welcome to Baarle.

Can a state in the EU prohibit women from accessing its territory? In the Monastic Republic of Mount Athos women are not allowed in - even tourists - and any woman who enters could be arrested by police. It's a peninsula from another, bygone world and yet benefits from taxpayer funding (including female taxpayers, presumably...).

Mount Athos: Off Limits for Women

Can a state in the EU prohibit women from accessing its territory?

According to the latest calculations by the OECD, South Korean women could live to be over 92 years old on average in 2070, and men over 89. That would be a world record. What's the secret?

South Korea: An Obsession With Health

South Koreans are on track to be the longest-lived people in the world

Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish perform at Hellfest 2022.

Hellfest 2022

Nightwish

Bulgarian DJ and techno producer KiNK is adored for his dynamic and spontaneous sets. Both playful and experimental, his sets brilliantly alternate house, techno and acid, peppered with jazzy improvisations. Electro sounds that evoke the characteristic frenzy of a rave.

Stone Techno 2022

Bulgarian DJ and techno producer KiNK is adored for his dynamic and spontaneous sets.

KiNK live

The former military base Camp Zeist in the Netherlands was once lent to Scotland. It was where the two men accused of orchestrating the Lockerbie bombings were put on trial. Libyans saw them as unfair victims. Meanwhile bereaved families demanded justice.

A Scottish Court in the Netherlands

The former military base Camp Zeist in the Netherlands was once lent to Scotland for the Lockerbie bombing trial

Did you know that people from Cyprus can cross the border into the UK every day? The British have a sort of autonomous state on the island: the Sovereign Base Areas. This is a case for Crazy Borders.

Dhekelia: Divided Between Cyprus and Britain

Did you know that people from Cyprus can cross the border into the UK every day?

The trio led by Matthew Bellamy is one of the most explosive and creative forces in rock music over the past two decades. There is no one else quite like Muse. Be impressed by their committed performance at Berlin’s Tempelhof Sounds Festival.

Tempelhof Sounds 2022

 There is no one else quite like Muse. Be impressed by their committed performance at Berlin’s Tempelhof Sounds Festival.

Hokusai: The Great Wave

Making History

Making History

The Statue of Tyrannicide

Making History

Hokusai: The Great Wave

Making History

The Invention of Eye Glasses

Making History

The Hand of Justice

Making History

Coal: The Poisonous Black Diamond

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The Hand of Fatima: A Universal Symbol?

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The Tin Can: Conserve and Survive

The Mummy and its Metamorphosis

Making History

Making HistoryHokusai: The Great Wave

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