CONTENTS Features

14 THE BIG QUESTION

Did the Age of Exploration do more harm than good? J

A panel of six experts debates the impact of the great era of discovery 20 Trouble in paradise J

BY DIANA PRESTON How the arrival of Europeans rocked the native cultures of Tahiti and Australia 30 The global legacy of Martin Luther King J

BY PETER J LING What is the lasting worldwide relevance of the great civil rights campaigner?

4

48 How art illustrates life J

BY DENYS BLAKEWAY A producer of the groundbreaking new BBC series Civilisations explains how great works of art have both reflected and informed cultures throughout human history 53 Grow, mine, buy, sell, exploit, fight J

For thousands of years, people have mined, harvested and battled over commodities and resources, shaping nations and cultures as a result. Experts explain how six key substances have shaped our world

I M A G E S

G E T T Y

A 1926 advert for Shell spirit and motor oils. In our special feature on resources on page 53, read how the mass production of petrol-powered cars sparked demand for a previously littletraded substance

J On the cover

COVER ILLUSTRATION BY DAVIDE BONAZZI