Living with gods: people, places and worlds beyond at The British Museum, 2nd November 2017 to 8th April 2018

Arguing that belief in spiritual powers has been part of every known human society, this brave show attempts nothing less than to survey the history of religious belief. So pervasive is this instinct to find meaning, the show’s argument is that we might equally call ourselves ‘homo religiosus’, rather than solely ‘homo sapiens’. Focusing both chronologically and thematically on mundane, even trivial, items that attest to the power of belief, this show’s message of tolerance and respect is much needed in our fractious world. Ultimately though this is a show undermined by the contradictions of its assumptions. It might be about homo religiosus but it is for homo sapiens.