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Living with the Gods

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How shared beliefs have shaped societies from the earliest days of humanity

How shared beliefs have shaped societies around the world, from the very earliest days of humanity with Neil MacGregor, former Director of the British Museum.

How shared beliefs have shaped societies around the world, from the very earliest days of humanity with Neil MacGregor, former Director of the British Museum. 

Image: Gold coin, Credit: The Trustees of the British Museum

Living with the Gods: Dependence or Dominion?

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Egyptian God Osiris

02/12/2017 GMT

Dependence or Dominion?

BBC World Service - Living with the Gods, Dependence or Dominion?

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

How nature and seasonal change shaped shared beliefs from the Yupik people of Alaska to ancient Egyptians.

Neil MacGregor, former director of the British Museum, focuses on how the natural world and seasonal change have shaped shared beliefs. The Yupik people of Alaska depend on the seal, and ancient Egyptians looked to the god Osiris to bring fertility to their arid land. Both societies, in radically different climates, devised practices that acknowledged the fact of their dependence on the natural world – and engaged everybody with the responsibility of co-operating with it.

(Photo: Statue of Egyptian god Osiris. Credit: The Trustees of the British Museum)

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