The exhibition: “Body. Cult. Religion.” on video

In the video series “Body. Cult. Religion. Exhibits,” researchers from the Cluster of Excellence present objects from the interdisciplinary exhibition "Body. Cult. Religion. Perspectives from Antiquity to the Present," which took place at the Archaeological Museum and the Bible Museum of the University of Münster from 25 October 2024 to 26 February 2025.

In the video series, the researchers explain the significance of the objects for the complex relationship between body and religion in antiquity and the present day. The exhibits on display range from ancient representations of the body, such as the bronze reconstruction of the Greek goddess Athena “Lemnia”, to ritual objects such as a nail fetish from Congo, to replicas of famous pieces such as the death mask of the Unknown Woman of the Seine.

Thematic field "Divine Figures"

• Bronze reconstruction of Athena ‘Lemnia’ (Cat. no. 13)

  The bronze reconstruction of the Greek goddess Athena ‘Lemnia’ shows that Greek antiquity seldom gave its gods any visible divinity, representing them instead with a human body. Deities thus belonged to the reality of people’s lives and were much more tangible, something also reflected in how people gave practical expression to their beliefs. This is marked in the case of Athena ‘Lemnia’ in her typical helmet and aegis, the latter an ambiguous object from Greek mythology that is usually shown as a shield or a kind of cloak. (exc/tst)

• Three works of Jewish art: Wall painting with Ezekiel in the Valley of Dry Bones, 244–245 AD (Cat. no. 20); Pictorial representation of an initiation ritual, ca. 1310 (Cat. no. 21); Leaf from a prayer book, ca.1270 (Cat. no. 22)

  The three works of art show how God is depicted and visualized in Jewish art: In Israelite monotheism, God is not conceivable as a human-like figure. The wall painting from the synagogue of Dura Europos in Damascus with a depiction of Ezekiel in the Valley of Dry Bones shows how God reveals to the prophet the future of Israel after the Babylonian exile. God's hand can be seen intervening in events on earth. It represents the communication between God and Ezekiel.

  God is depicted differently in two other works of Jewish art: The two pages of the book, which deal with an initiation ritual for Jewish children (Cat. no. 21) and the institution of the Israelite sacrificial service (Cat. no. 22), each show God by means of golden lettering with the word Adon “Lord”. (exc/fbu)

Thematic field: "Gender Roles?"

• Statuette of goddess Guanyin with child (Cat. no. 72)

  The statuette shows Guanyin, the Chinese version of the Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara. In Buddhism, Bodhisattvas are revered as moral and socially-oriented beings who, through Buddhist teachings, release earthly souls from the cycle of reincarnation and thus from their suffering. In China, Guanyin was depicted androgynously after the spread of Buddhism, although female features often predominated. From the 12th century onwards, there have been almost exclusively female depictions, one of which, shown here, has prevailed: a Madonna-like figure with child (songzi Guanyin 送子 觀音; child-giving Guanyin). She gave women in particular a new figure that they could turn to with their concerns regarding childbirth and offspring. (exc/tst)

Thematic field: "Religion and Healing"

• Nkisi Nkondi, a so-called nail fetish, from the Congo from the 19th/20th century (Cat. no. 101)

  This figure is a so-called power figure used by ritual specialists to activate supernatural powers and invoke their effects in the physical world. The figures can be used for both benevolent and malevolent purposes - the Minkisi Nkondi, to which this figure also belongs, were used to hunt evildoers or witches, for example. The figure has the typical minkisi addition of a mirrored container in the center of the belly, which is considered the preferred location and source of magical power. Also typical is the fixed gaze, which is often achieved by attaching additional material to the eyes. (exc/fbu)

Thematic field: "After Death..."

• Replica of the death mask of the unknown woman from the Seine (orig. "L'inconnue de la Seine") (Cat. no. 117)

  According to legend, this death mask was made from the face of the corpse of an unknown woman who was found in the Seine in Paris at the end of the 19th century. The mask, which is said to have been made by a coroner who was impressed by the beauty of the deceased, became so famous that it is still known today from numerous reproductions. The creation of death masks to commemorate deceased relatives was already a common practice in Roman antiquity and has remained so over the centuries. In modern times, plaster casts were also made of the faces of emperors, kings and famous people after their death. (exc/fbu)

Thematic field: "Rituals of Life"

• Icon with a depiction of the baptism of Jesus from the 18th century (Cat. no. 158)

  The scene shows the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan by John the Baptist. In the Christian faith, the moment of baptism reveals Jesus' divine sonship and thus also the Trinity of God. In the depiction, the white dove symbolises the Holy Spirit, while the divinity of Jesus is made clear by a halo with the inscription "The Being". For Christianity, baptism, as attested in the New Testament, is the central initiation rite. It symbolises participation in the death and resurrection of Christ. In the Christian sense, initiation symbolises incorporation into the church and community. (exc/fbu)

• Clay tablet with priestly initiation, 6th century BC (Cat. no. 148)

  This clay tablet dates from the 6th century BC from Uruk in modern-day Iraq and is inscribed with a text in cuneiform script. It tells of how the temple authorities approached the priestly community to ask whether an aspirant could be initialized as a priest. The text makes it clear which requirements a candidate for the priesthood had to fulfill in addition to the usual purity regulations: he had to have “impeccable” ancestry, namely be the son of a priest and a “pure” mother, i.e. born in wedlock. It is known from other texts that the temple barbers examined candidates for the priesthood physically. Priests were not allowed to have any health restrictions or aesthetic abnormalities, such as poor eyesight, broken teeth, kidney stones, asymmetrical facial features or skin diseases. They were also expected to lead a morally impeccable life, which is also attested to in this text.

  Purity, both physical and mental, was a prerequisite for being able to face the gods. The gods were quickly angered by impurity and then the ritual threatened to fail, with all the negative consequences for the community. (exc/fbu)

Thematic field: "Disembodiment"

• Painted wooden figure of an ancient Egyptian Ba-bird with a human head (Cat. no. 175)

  The Egyptian Ba-bird is the visualisation of an actually invisible and disembodied concept – the so-called Ba soul. In the imagination of the Ancient Egyptians, this was part of the body and personality of every human being. Even after death, the Ba-soul could move freely and even return to the dead body. The Ba was depicted as a bird with a human head.

  The statuette of such a Ba bird presented here is made of wood and painted in bright colours. It is an attachment figure that was probably originally mounted on a coffin. (exc/fbu)