History of Belief

History of Belief explores how people have understood death, the soul, memory and the unseen world throughout history. From prehistoric monuments and Religion, the Afterlife and Humanity's Search for the Other Side. Druidic traditions to Christianity, Spiritualism and psychical research, these articles examine the beliefs that have shaped ghost stories, religious traditions and humanity's enduring search for the other side.

The Afterlife and the Price of Belief

How do intelligent societies come to regard violence as morally necessary? That it serves a higher purpose? Throughout history people have accepted terrible actions because they believed death was not the end.

Photo image of The Longstone, Mottistone Isle of Wight.

Longstone, Mottistone. Druid Stone, Ship to the Stars or Cosmic Clock?

Seen in isolation, the oldest human-made structure on the Isle of Wight, Mottistone's Longstone is an unsolvable mystery. Viewed in a landscape context, it becomes part of a giant timepiece.