1972: Seamus Heaney and the ancient gods
“In a churchyard on Boa Island, you can still look the old gods in the face. They watch you in silence. They want to speak to you of their power.”…
Medieval Dog Ownership: A How-To Guide
What was it like to own and care for a dog in the Middle Ages? In this video we go deep into the details of Medieval dog ownership: the types…
Ian Mortimer on the extraordinary scale of the Black Death and how its aftermath transformed England’s social order
Discover the terrifying diseases that people feared most, the extraordinary scale of the Black Death and how its aftermath helped transform England’s social order. Meet a famous medieval 'traveller', and…
Why Is There a Roman Temple Under This German Shopping Mall?
Under a shopping mall in Mainz, Germany lies the Roman Empire’s only known joint sanctuary of Isis and Magna Mater. The curse tablets found inside blur the line between ancient…
Other cultures name themselves differently.
Our names aren't normal. The structure of + + is not how much of the world does it. Other cultures squeeze in extra information such as tribal names, ancestral villages,…
“The City of Our Lady Queen of the Angels on the river Porciúncula”, Tony Duquette
For the bicentennial of the city of Los Angeles, “The City of Our Lady Queen of the Angels on the river Porciúncula”, Tony Duquette, a native son, created a gift…
BBC Archive: 1975: A Nun’s Life
Tuesday Documentary: Chastity, Poverty and Obedience, originally broadcast on BBC One, 27 May, 1975.
Believing in God is Hard
Believing God and spirits exist and experiencing them as present are two different things. Anthropologist Tanya Luhrmann calls the work of bridging that gap real-making: the prayers, offerings, and habits…
What is Sikhism?
Religion for Breakfast
Cult of Mithras Explained
The Cult of Mithras was a thriving religion in the Roman Empire. But by the 5th century....it was gone. What do we know about the Cult of Mithras? And what…