From Simple to State Religion—Part 4 of Big History

This is the fourth of a series of posts on the evolution of human culture—from our nomadic past to the formation of empires—examining the roles played by writing and religion. The world’s first states emerged about 5-6 thousand years ago. How did they differ from the earlier agrarian communities, besides being larger and more complex? A state (1) claims a monopoly on the use of violence, by means of an army and/or police force, and (2) it taxes its citizens to fund its institutions. The very first states were city-states that appeared in Egypt and Mesopotamia.

The state offered several advantages over the small farm communities that had existed earlier: (1) it provided a safer place to live, because people were better able to protect property within its walls, (2) the proliferation of various skills allowed people without land to develop a trade, and (3) large city spaces and buildings provided venues for festivals and other large gatherings. States soon developed military power through standing armies, accompanied by the rise of state religion.

The earlier simple forms of hierarchical religions fit well with the needs of the new states, by providing social cohesion and cooperation. As the size of cities grew, people needed new ways to develop means for collaborating with others whom they didn't personally know. Common devotion to the same god was a good way to foster that cohesion.

As city-states began to merge into ever larger states, a need arose to create a pantheon  of gods that would include a role for each city's main god. The pantheon mirrored the division of human labor and provided a way to hierarchically organize the various divisions of the state apparatus. Thus theology developed, which became a description or doctrine about the various gods and their relationship to humans.

The second innovation of state religion—morality—came into being with the invention of writing. Now the state's moral code could be written down and displayed in public. The state soon solidified its hold on morality by elevating its principles to a supernatural authority. The gods became the custodians of morality—enforcing their standards via a means of divine rewards or retribution.

States later evolved into aristocracies and monarchies, with a ruler—a king—at the apex. The king was often considered to be like a god. States grew larger and  more powerful, later becoming empires, such as Babylon, Assyria, Persia, and Rome. It was helpful that a state’s/empire's armies were made up of soldiers who shared the same god(s); thus they felt superior to their opponents (my god is better than yours), causing them to fight harder and more effectively. As time passed it became clear that states were in a perpetual condition of war—relieved by short periods of peace. Thus the state, its religion, and writing became the powerful trinity that dominated human history.

[Note: many of the concepts I have described in this short, four-part history of humanity came from an online course offered by the University of Amsterdam: “Big History, from the Big Bang to Today.”]