Archaeology and Religion

Late last year a team of archaeologists who had been working on a site in Nepal announced that they had uncovered the earliest known Buddhist shrine, a discovery which leads them to place the date of the Buddha's birth three centuries earlier than previously thought. In the first of a new series of Beyond Belief, Ernie Rea and guests discuss the impact that archaeological discoveries have on the study of religion and on the faith of believers. What added dimensions does archaeology bring to religions of the book? What light does it shed on the worlds of the founders of the faiths? And can archaeology ever be used to prove or disprove the beliefs of the billions that have followed them? Ernie Rea's guests are Professor Robin Coningham, Professor Francesca Stavrakopoulou and Professor Tim Insoll.

Producer: Rosie Dawson.