Throughout history, idols and other objects of worship — from the Golden Fleece to the Virgin Mary in a grilled cheese sandwich — have fascinated the human race. In a unique joint tour of two University of Chicago campus museums, the Smart Museum and the Oriental Institute, curators Aaron Tugendhaft and Jessica Moss discuss how certain artifacts gained such deep significance. Citing examples from a variety of cultures, they explore the theological problems that idols present, the sometimes-strange rituals of previous societies, and secular interpretations of this phenomenon.