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Living with the Gods

Religion & Ethics

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: Living with the Dead

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Living with the Dead

09/12/2017 GMT

BBC World Service - Living with the Gods, Living with the Dead

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

For the living, deceased ancestors had great wisdom and knowledge of the world and could be called upon to help key decision-makers.

Neil MacGregor's series on the role and expression of beliefs continues with a reflection on our relationship with the dead. 

In the British Museum, he focuses on mummy bundles from Peru, skeletons wrapped in textiles made of llama wool or cotton. For the living, these were ancestors with great wisdom and knowledge of the world, who could be called upon to help key decision-makers.

He also examines two Chinese 'ancestor portraits', and discovers how and why they were venerated by surviving family members. 


Producer Paul Kobrak 

The series is produced in partnership with the British Museum, with the assistance of Dr Christopher Harding, University of Edinburgh. 
Photograph (c) The Trustees of the British Museum.

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