A 40,000-year-old lion man made of ivory, a golden gibla from the 16th century, a cross from Lampedusa – with unparalleled mastery, Neil MacGregor brings all these fascinating objects to life. His new book takes us on an unforgettable journey through the world of gods and religions. From the early worship of fire, water, and sun to festivals on the Ganges and pilgrimages in the East, and to the bloody conflicts that continue to this day in their name, it tells how the belief in gods has shaped human life. No human society exists without ideas about where it comes from, what place it occupies in the world, and in what special way and by adhering to which rules it connects with the Eternal. From the Arctic to Japan, from India to Peru, from Africa to Scotland.