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The Baron Thyssen Centre for the Study of Ancient Material Religion was founded at The Open University in 2018 to promote research into the material, visual and other sensory aspects of Greek, Etruscan and Roman religions, and to bring this research into dialogue with work on material religion in later periods. The Centre provides support for the research of staff and students based at The Open University, publishes written and audio-visual resources, and organises a regular programme of lectures, seminars and conferences. Visit the About page to find out more.

instagram @Openmaterialreligion

Excellent photo, E-J!
A huge thanks to Professor Maureen Carroll for delivering our inaugural seminar yesterday! We recorded some audio discussion after the seminar and will post that on our website soon.
Looking forward to our first Centre seminar! Come and join us in Milton Keynes on 14th Feb to hear Prof Maureen Carroll talk about #MaterMatuta, #votives, and #fertility in #ancient #Italy. All welcome! https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/mater-matuta-and-her-sisters-a-seminar-by-professor-maureen-carroll-tickets-54594149571
Resisted the temptation to put a filter on this already-gorgeous pic taken today at the Archaeological Museum in Alife, Campania. Italy’s smaller regional museums are full of treasures of #ancient #material #religion
We’ve almost finished planning our first seminar series, and will be sharing news of that soon. Can you guess from this photo 🔺who our first speaker will be? (Image: Mater Matuta statue in tufa from Capua Vetere, 6th-2nd centuries BCE, now in the Museo Campano in Capua. Photo: Ilya Shurygin, via www.ancientrome.ru)
Congrats to our PhD student Shirley Elderfield who just gave a great research seminar on ‘Sensory experience at the oracle of Zeus at Dodona’. Lots of questions and discussion afterwards about sound, cauldrons, prophets, pollution, oak leaves, experimental archaeology and more. 👏👏
Enjoying this new book by David Chidester. And just spotted a reference to the work of our steering group member Graham Harvey, who has “revitalized animism as indigenous religious respect for the living world” (p.29). https://www.openmaterialreligion.org/graham-harvey #openmaterialreligion #animism
In case you haven’t spotted it on our website yet, we’ve published a Call for Papers for our first collaborative publication. “Pompeii: Materiality, Sensuality, and Lived Religion” will be published in the Open Arts Journal. Please share widely and do get in touch if you’d like to contribute: https://www.openmaterialreligion.org/project/open-arts #pompeii #religion #materiality #senses #archaeology #openmaterialreligion
An excellent day working with OU Classical Studies colleagues on new curriculum ideas and teaching strategies - we also had coffee & cake and celebrated the launch of our new Centre! Here’s a pic of some members of the #openmaterialreligion steering committee with our new website: do visit and explore at www.openmaterialreligion.org 🎇
Our website is live! Check out www.openmaterialreligion.org 🌟 It’s a wet cold day here in Milton Keynes, but we’re still celebrating 🎂☕️

Twitter @openmatrel

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Images on this page (top Gallery) REPRODUCED WITH THE KIND PERMISSION OF BARON THYSSEN-BORNEMISZA