Humans are goal-oriented creatures
The main goals of every human civilization are sustainability and improved quality of life. People partake in diverse facets of life in search of these aims, such as conflicts, migration, and marriage. In addition to these engagements, humanity must deal with natural disasters such as drought, flooding, and earthquakes. These components combine to form a dynamic society in which humans deal with these phenomena. Attempts have been made throughout history to investigate humans in the light of these aspects of life. Social complexity is one framework that has proven useful in the analysis of human cultures. It involves the analysis of arrangements and associations existing between the various phenomena of human existence. Religion and politics are two components of social complexity that have attracted the attention of many scholars. It is the intention of this paper to examine the relationship between these two phenomena during early civilization.
Relationship between Religion and Politics in Ancient Civilizations
The connection between religion and politics is an important topic in anthropology and other social sciences. Even though there are many instances of conflicts of interests between the two entities, they have supported each other in many ways. For instance, religious movements have led to political reforms in many lands. The opposite is also true. The extent to which religious and political affairs interact with each other vary across different social settings. Throughout the history of humankind, religion has played central roles in shaping politics. The interactions between politics and religion in some of the primary civilizations such as Egypt, Mesopotamia, Mesoamerica, and the Andes are the focus of this paper.
The study of the relationship between politics and religion in the ancient civilization faces at least two major obstacles. The first one concerns cultural and geographical diversities within ancient traditions. The other difficulty is definition. Even though early societies such as Egypt, Mesopotamia, Rome, or Greece engaged in the worship of higher beings, the word religion in the contemporary sense did not exist in any of the. Nevertheless, evidence points to the existence of strong connections between religion and politics in early governments.
Just like in modern societies, primary civilizations depended on highly organized political systems for their success. Kings were the symbols of political authority and were the heads of states. They appointed administrators who assisted them in their activities. Religion was an integral part of these societies. People engaged in various forms of worship that they felt were appropriate. A dominant feature of religion in these civilizations was polytheism. The religious domain of these societies consisted of a system of gods and demigods that controlled all the aspects of the universe. Both the government and religion were responsible for maintaining order in the society. The two entities collaborated in enacting and implementing laws, constructing temples, defending the interests of the kingdom, ensuring smooth trade with neighboring societies, and organizing labor.
For most of these societies, there existed no distinct separation between politics and religion. For instance, the Egyptian civilization was one sophistication that gained much grandeur and stability. A central factor that contributed to its success was the high level of co-operation that existed between politics and religion. At the top of its social hierarchy was Pharaoh. He was the head of state. He was also the divine representative of deities on earth and presided over religious affairs. After Pharaoh came the viziers that served as heads over the bureaucracy. Next to the viziers were the priests. The priests played active roles in administration as advisors to the king (Okon 93-98). These facts indicate that the Egyptian society placed high value on the collaboration between politics and religion.
Religion was a primary tool for exerting political supremacy. The ancient civilization of Mesopotamia demonstrates this fact. Lying in the middle of two great rivers, Euphrates and Tigris, Mesopotamia was a fertile land. However, unlike most of the societies of the time that had centralized political powers, it consisted of many smaller religions that had separate governments with distinct kings. The emperors administered the activities of their city-states (Brisch). In the absence of a centralized government and a single political leader, Mesopotamia was prone to frequent conflicts over land and other natural resources. In addition to civil wars, the region was a target of many natural disasters including floods and other catastrophes. Religion became a primary tool in explaining uncertainties that resulted from unpredictable weather patterns, natural calamities, and wars. People found solace in attributing such uncertainties to the will of the gods.
In Mesopotamia, religion was a foremost political weapon in the conflicts that arose between city-states. It was a valuable instrument for forging bonds between individual members of the city-states. Like many civilizations of the time, Mesopotamians believed in a system of gods. These deities were anthropomorphic and had human-like appearances with many human traits. They required food and water for their sustenance. Most people had personal relationships with and venerated their deities. Priests served as mediators between the common people and the gods Even though religious beliefs varied across different city-states, there was a close association between Religion and politics. Mesopotamians believed that the deities controlled almost all aspects of life. Accordingly, social classes emerged around the priests who exercised authority over every resource in the region. The made decisions over political elements such as war, trade, and agriculture.
Similar associations between politics and religion are evident in Mesoamerican and Andean communities. One ancient civilization that thrived in Mesoamerica was the Maya (between 700 and 900 C.E.). It had a complex political structure consisting of monarchs and the ruling class. Religion played significant roles in the society. People relied on it to provide explanations to natural forces that governed the cosmos. Additionally, religion served to comfort and unify people.
Religious activities were at the center of military institutions. For example, there existed close links between Mayan politics and religion. For example, the prestige and authority of most kings relied on constructing temples. In many cases, religion justified wars between city-states. A central feature of the Mayan religion was human sacrifice. Rulers conducted wars to obtain captives that served as sacrificial victims in religious ceremonies. According to Maya tradition, kings had divine origin. Accordingly, they claimed a quasi-divine status, lying between the gods and humans. Like Mesopotamia, Maya had a decentralized political system different from those of other Mesoamerican systems such as the Aztecs and Incas. Maya kings and the royal families presided over important functions such as public ceremonies. During such events, they evoked godly blessings through sacrifices, hallucinogenic enemas, spiritual trances, and dances (Wilk 310). Therefore, the collaboration between religion and politics was essential in ensuring military successes.
Like the Maya, the Zapotec religion had elements of associations between political and religious domains. The ruling elites had genealogical connections with the supernatural world. Similar relationships were present in other Mesoamerican civilizations such as the Mixtec and Aztec. Among the Andean tribes, there developed a complex system of religious rituals and beliefs. Like in other ancient societies, the Andean emperors claimed possessing supernatural powers. They used such claims to justify their capacity to preside over the affairs of the society (Bonilla 340). The social elements of life in these ancient societies depict strong connections between religion and politics.
Conclusion
Ancient civilizations of Egypt, Mesopotamia, the Indus Valley, Mesoamerica, China, and the Andes engaged in a diverse range of religious aspects. Even though individual beliefs and practices varied across the societies, certain elements were central to all of them. For instance, all the societies were polytheists worshiping a system of gods and demigods that controlled all affairs of the cosmos. Priests intervened between human and the deities. Human sacrifices were also prominent features of religious ceremonies.
Close associations existed between religion and politics of these early civilizations.
Kings claimed divine descent and presided over many religious activities. Rulers collaborated with religious institutions to ensure order and expand territories. Religion was a primary instrument for furthering political and military ambitions of the emperors. In some societies like Egypt, political leaders also served as the representative of the deities. Therefore, the various elements of the complex societies of primary civilizations interacted with each other.
Works Cited
Bonilla, Heraclio. “Religious practices in the Andes and their relevance to political struggle and development.” Mountain Research and Development 26.4 (2006): 336-342.
Brisch, Nicole. “Religion and Power: Divine Kingship in the Ancient World and Beyond.” The Oriental Institute. The Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago, February 23, 2007. Web. May 24, 2017.
Okon, Etim E. “Religion and politics in Ancient Egypt.” American Journal of Social and Management Sciences 3.3 (2012): 93-98.
Wilk, Richard R. “The ancient Maya and the political present.” Journal of Anthropological Research 41.3 (1985): 307-326.
