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Religion & Superstition in Colonial America
Religion and superstition went hand in hand in Colonial America, and one’s belief in the first confirmed the validity of the second. The colonists' worldview was completely informed by religion and so everything that happened - good or bad...
Article
Another Ariamanus Statue Found: The Evil Spirit of Mithraic Religion
It is rare when a new find creates renewed interest in an old subject. Here, the new find is a leontocephaline (lion-headed) figure of unknown provenance, weighing 5.8 kg and 37 cm in height with a width of 14 cm. Its base is partially broken...
Article
Religion in the Middle Ages
Religion in the Middle Ages, though dominated by the Catholic Church, was far more varied than only orthodox Christianity. In the Early Middle Ages (c. 476-1000), long-established pagan beliefs and practices entwined with those of the new...
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Aztec Supreme God Huitzilopochtli
Aztec supreme god Huitzilopochtli with hummingbird-inspired look, book illustration by unknown artist, included in the Codex Tovar by Juan de Tovar, p. 240, 1582.
John Carter Brown Library, Providence.
Article
Religion in the Mongol Empire
The Mongol Empire (1206-1368 CE) covered Asia from the Black Sea to the Korean peninsula and so naturally included all manner of religions within its borders, but the Mongols themselves had their own particular religious beliefs and rituals...
Article
Passing of Philosophy to Religion: The Death of Hypatia
The death of the philosopher Hypatia of Alexandria (l. c. 370-415) has long been considered the "passage of philosophy to religion", exemplifying the transition from the pagan values of antiquity to those of the new religion of Christianity...
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Death, Burial & the Afterlife in the Ancient Celtic Religion
The ancient Celts who occupied large parts of Europe from 700 BCE to 400 CE displayed a clear belief in an afterlife as evidenced in their treatment of the dead. In the absence of extensive written records by the Celts themselves, we are...
Lesson Pack
Religion in Ancient Egypt
We have prepared three lesson plans including classroom activities, assignments, homework, and keys as well as: - Multiple choice quiz questions in an excel format. - Glossary of keywords and concepts in an excel format. - Open questions...
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Aztec Ceremonial Knife
An Aztec ceremonial knife with a cedarwood handle and flint blade. The figure of the handle is covered in turquoise and shell mosiac and represents an Aztec Eagle knight. 1400-1521 CE. (British Museum, London)
Article
The Mask of Xiuhtecuhtli
The striking turquoise mask now in the British Museum in London is thought to represent Xiuhtecuhtli, the Aztec god of fire, and dates to the final century of the Aztec empire, c. 1400-1521 CE. It is made from hundreds of small pieces of...