Dependence or Dominion?
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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- Sun 3 Dec 201703:32GMTBBC World Service except News Internet
- Sun 3 Dec 201719:32GMTBBC World Service except News Internet
Animations
Neil MacGregor tells the stories of some of the key objects in the series.
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