Ancient India, Assyria, And Egypt: The Importance Of Religion

Early civilizations had a complex set of beliefs and rituals. These early religions would have profound effects on the believers and the people around them. Some religions have faded away when others have grown to global importance. The importance of religion and it effects can be seen with in India, Assyria, and Egypt, by the way they created class distentions, regional unity and the structure of the state. Egypt is one of the oldest civilizations recorded. Through it’s long history it’s pantheon would change and the power and nature of the gods would reflect changes seen in the world of man but some effects would only change slowly if at all. Their history was dominated by a signal ruler called the pharaoh. This ruler, usually a man, was not only the leader of the state by the intermediary between the world of man and the world of the gods. He had an obligation to ensure that order was maintaned. He was surrounded by a priestly class. This class “performed rituals reinforcing his supreme status within the universe’s natural order” (65). In this way the religion and state supported each other in maintaining order and stability in the lands of Egypt. Having a unified set of beliefs helped to maintain a

It would rapidly expand and subjugate many peoples. This was in part from their religious beliefs, “[their] national god Ashur had commanded all Assyrians to support the forcible growth of the empire” (132). This meant that they would be assured victory over chaos and concurred people should show complete submission to the Assyrians. To maintain their empire they created by divine decree they used harsh forms of punishment and large scale movement of enslaved people. This harsh treatment would require increasing man power and force to prevent rebellion. The fundamental belief in their superiority meant that once they had a significant lost their order was shattered and quickly