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  4. Meeting The Gods (1200 - 1400 AD)

Meeting The Gods (1200 - 1400 AD)

From Mexico to Easter Island, the followers of many world religions used objects to become closer to their gods. Neil MacGregor finds five such devotional items

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on BBC iPlayer (5)
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  1. Listen to the latest programme

    Hoa Hakananai'a Easter Island Statue

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    Available since Fri, 14 Jan 2011.

    5/5. Neil MacGregor discusses one of the extraordinary giant figures from Easter Island.

  2. Also available

    1. Statue of Huastec Goddess

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      Available since Thu, 8 Jul 2010.

      4/5. Neil MacGregor examines a sculpture of a goddess made by the Huastec people of Mexico.

    2. Shiva and Parvati Sculpture

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      Available since Wed, 7 Jul 2010.

      3/5. Neil MacGregor examines a stone sculpture of the Hindu deity Shiva and his consort Parvati

    3. Icon of the Triumph of Orthodoxy

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      Available since Tue, 6 Jul 2010.

      2/5. Neil MacGregor tells the story of a 14th-century icon from the Byzantine Empire.

    4. Holy Thorn Reliquary

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      Available since Mon, 5 Jul 2010.

      1/5. Neil MacGregor examines a reliquary made for a thorn from Christ's crown of thorns.

Featured

Meeting the Gods

66: Holy Thorn Reliquary
67: Icon of the Triumph of Orthodoxy
68: Shiva and Parvati sculpture
69: Sculpture of Huastec goddess
70: Hoa Hakananai'a Easter Island statue

Throughout the world during this period objects were used to bring the faithful closer to their gods. In the Western Church, pilgrims flocked to shrines to see holy relics, including the bodyparts of saints. In the Eastern Orthodox Church, images of Jesus and the saints were venerated in the form of icons. Hindu worshipers in India used statues to developing a personal relationship with individual Hindu gods. In Huastec Mexico, penitents visited statues of the mother goddess asking for forgiveness. The religion of Easter Islanders in the Pacific changed to reflect their deteriorating environment. Polynesians ceased worshiping statues of their ancestors and instead created a cult associated with the island’s diminishing bird population.

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