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Neil MacGregor concludes his series on how shared beliefs have shaped societies.
The attempts of some faiths to establish a state of their own
A focus on those faiths seen as a threat to the state
Neil MacGregor focuses on societies which aimed to live without religious beliefs
The relationship between gods and the earthly rulers with a heavenly mandate
How faiths co-exist in India
How gods can reach new communities and faiths adapts
The societies who believe that they share the landscape with invisible co-inhabitants
How one god became central to worship in ancient Babylon and Egypt
The role and expression of beliefs with a focus on societies living with many gods
Focussing on the word: a yad is used to follow the text during readings from the Torah
Examining images of the crucifixion of Christ and a serene figure of Buddha
How do we begin to understand the original intention of ancient art?
The making of divine images such as Russian Orthodox icons and the Hindu goddess Durga
Shared beliefs around Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico and the goddess Artemis of Ephesus
Festivals and their role in shaping a communal identity
Pilgrimage and its role in Christianity, Buddhism and Islam
This Aztec knife, dating from around 1500, had a brutal purpose - human sacrifice
Why offerings to Gods became part of cultural practice for the Muisca population
The temple designed and formed in Mesopotamia about 4000 years ago to be a house of god
Kirchenpelz was not just 'Sunday Best' it showed your allegiance to the Lutheran Church
Prayer is both a highly individualized activity and a profoundly communal act
Human rites of age, that mark the transition from childhood to adulthood
How societies and communities seek to protect the newly-born and their mothers
Deceased ancestors had great wisdom and could be called upon to help key decision-makers
How nature and seasonal change shaped shared beliefs from the Yupik people to Egyptians
The importance of the sun, from the very earliest days of humanity
How water became an essential part of religious practise in Christianity, Islam, Judaism
Many societies have seen the mesmerizing phenomenon of fire as a symbol of the divine
Through the ancient Lion Man sculpture Neil MacGregor explores the role of shared beliefs