In an old country town high school library there is a glass case that displays something highly unusual and, for some, confronting.

Inside that glass case is a mummified head and according to its plaque, it was donated to Grafton High School in 1915.

Now, over 100 years later, questions are being raised about where it really came from and whether it really belongs there.




This podcast is a co-production of ABC Australia and CBC Podcasts.

Bottles in the Basement

Throughout its reign, the British Empire stole a lot of stuff. Today the Empire's loot sits in museums, galleries, private collections and burial sites with polite plaques. But its history is often messier than the plaques suggest.

In each episode of this global smash hit podcast, Walkley award-winning journalist, author and genetic potluck, Marc Fennell, takes you on the wild, evocative, sometimes funny, often tragic adventure of how these stolen treasures got to where they live today. These objects will ultimately help us see the modern world — and ourselves — in a different light.

This is a co-production between the ABC and CBC Canada.