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Fire and State

Many societies have seen the mesmerizing phenomenon of fire as a symbol of the divine

• 17 mins

Water of Life and Death

How water became an essential part of religious practise in Christianity, Islam, Judaism

• 17 mins

Here Comes the Sun

The importance of the sun, from the very earliest days of humanity

• 17 mins

Dependence or Dominion?

How nature and seasonal change shaped shared beliefs from the Yupik people to Egyptians

• 17 mins

Living with the Dead

Deceased ancestors had great wisdom and could be called upon to help key decision-makers

• 17 mins

Mother and Child

How societies and communities seek to protect the newly-born and their mothers

• 17 mins

Becoming an Adult

Human rites of passage, that mark the transition from childhood to adulthood

• 17 mins

Lines of Communication

Prayer is both a highly individualized activity and a profoundly communal act

• 17 mins

The Power of Song

Kirchenpelz was not just 'Sunday Best' it showed your allegiance to the Lutheran Church

• 17 mins

The House of God

The temple designed and formed in Mesopotamia about 4000 years ago to be a house of god

• 17 mins

Gifts to the Gods

Why offerings to Gods became part of cultural practice for the Muisca population

• 17 mins

Holy Killing

This Aztec knife, dating from around 1500, had a brutal purpose - human sacrifice

• 17 mins

To Be a Pilgrim

Pilgrimage and its role in Christianity, Buddhism and Islam

• 17 mins

Festivals

Festivals and their role in shaping a communal identity

• 17 mins

The Protectoresses

Shared beliefs around Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico and the goddess Artemis of Ephesus

• 17 mins

Replicating the Divine

The making of divine images such as Russian Orthodox icons and the Hindu goddess Durga

• 17 mins

The Making of Meaning

How do we begin to understand the original intention of ancient art?

• 17 mins

Change Your Life

Examining images of the crucifixion of Christ and a serene figure of Buddha

• 17 mins

Rejecting the Image

Focussing on the word: a yad is used to follow the text during readings from the Torah

• 17 mins

Living with Many Gods

The role and expression of beliefs with a focus on societies living with many gods

• 17 mins

Living with One God

How one god became central to worship in ancient Babylon and Egypt

• 17 mins

The Other Side of the Leaf

The societies who believe that they share the landscape with invisible co-inhabitants

• 17 mins

Global Gods, Local Needs

How gods can reach new communities and faiths adapts

• 17 mins

Gods Living Together

How faiths co-exist in India

• 17 mins

Ruling with the Gods

The relationship between gods and the earthly rulers with a heavenly mandate

• 17 mins

Living with No Gods

Neil MacGregor focuses on societies which aimed to live without religious beliefs

• 17 mins

Turning the Screw

A focus on those faiths seen as a threat to the state

• 17 mins

The Search for a State

The attempts of some faiths to establish a state of their own

• 17 mins

Living with Each Other

Neil MacGregor concludes his series on how shared beliefs have shaped societies.

• 17 mins