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Title: The interconnection of Myth, religion and imperial ideology in the

establishment of ancient Monarchies: Reflection from Mesopotamia, Vedic
India and Assyrian empire.

From the very beginning of the ancient world the establishment of monarchical systems and
kingships were related by a complex interplay of myth, religion and imperial ideology. The rules
of the ancient civilization tried to employ these interconnected elements so that it can legitimize
their authority and assert control over their subjects. If we see thoroughly then we can understand
that behind every establishment of monarchical society there are interplay of the myth, religion
and imperial ideology. In this essay we will try to explore how the three prominent ancient
societies - Mesopotamia, Vedic India and Assyrian Empire- used these elements to shape their
respective monarchical political cultures. Also, how they build a strong management system to
run their empire by using these ideologies.

First let's talk about the most important and one of the cradles of civilization which is
Mesopotamia. It was a region where the concept of divine kingship played an important role in
shaping the cultural and religious ethos of the society. In the context of Mesopotamia rulers were
not only considered as the political leaders but also they were regarded as intermediaries between
the divine realm and the mortal world. We can see that belief in the divine right of kings was
deeply rooted in the prominent babylonian creation myth. The Enuma Elish, which has a great
impact on the governance and social structure of Mesopotamian societies. According to Mark,
“Marduk, in the Enuma Elish, establishes the recognizable order of the world- Just as God does
in the Genesis tale- and human beings are expected to recognize this great gift and honor the
deity through service” (2022). Over from the statement of Mark, it says that, In Genesis and the
Enuma Elish, Marduk or God creates and arranges the universe. So, people should recognize this
gift and revere the divine by respecting its order. Also, it implies being moral and in tune with
the world. Therefore, these myths teach us that the world's order is a gift from a higher power
and should be respected by behaving righteously.
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Now let's discuss Myth and how it contributes behind the monarchical systems/kingship in the
ancient world. Before jumping into the real discussion let's clarify the concept of Myth.
According to Willis, The word Myth came from a Greek word “Mythos” which ment “word,
“Story”, Saying (1996). The ancient Myths legitimized monarchy in many ways. These tales
generally emphasize heavenly origins and predictions, portraying kings and queens as
god-selected rulers. These beliefs gave rulers a divine mandate and gave the populace a deep
feeling of continuity and stability. This mythical legitimization is best shown by Mesopotamia’s
semi-divine ruler Gilgamesh. His story shows how myths legitimized authority. Gilgamesh is a
powerful and wise divine figure in his story. His unusual combination of mortal and supernatural
features strengthened his standing as a chosen king, connecting the terrestrial and divine realms.
Then again, Gilgamesh’s account validated his authority and convinced the people that their
monarch was divinely sent to rule and safeguard the kingdom. Therefore, this story solidified
Mesopotamia’s monarchy’s influence in the society’s beliefs and culture.

Secondly, in the ancient world, religious narratives also played a profound role in shaping the
political landscape. Religious tales shaped ancient politics. Mesopotamia’s history shows this
link between heavenly and worldly tale. This is the king who carefully incorporated religious
ideas into their political rhetoric, presenting themselves as mediators between the gods and
humans. A striking symbol of this divine connection in Mesopotamia was the awe-inspiring
ziggurats, among them the famed Ziggurat of Ur. According to Mark, “The ziggurat was an
artificial mountain raised for the worship of the gods to elevate the priests toward heaven”
(2022a). We can understand from this statement that these massive buildings symbolized the
ruler's holy duty as much as architecture. Each ziggurat was a massive stairway to the heavens,
symbolizing the ruler and the God connection.
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In the third point let's focus on how Myths often transcended imperial cultures to influence
smaller kingdoms on the periphery. We can find the tales of great flood in various cultures
including Mesopotamis’s Epic of Gilgamesh and the biblical story of Noah’s Ark, is a prime
example of how myths traveled and adapted to fit different cultural contexts. These tales
legitimized smaller monarchs by implying divine favor for kingship.

At the last, we can see that monarchies were also justified by socioeconomic and political
factors. They provided a strong power to maintain order, protect against dangers, and manage the
economy. As mesopotamia was in between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers they were rich in
terms of agriculture. So Centralized power was needed to regulate rivers, develop irrigation
canals, and prevent conflicts. Chaos and fights over these vital resources might result without it.
Also it was a flat land so it was easy for the other groups to come to that area. For this reason it
was ruled by different rulers in different time periods. We can say that besides mythological and
heavenly explanations, monarchy was justified by practical necessities for order and resource
management.

Not only in Mesopotamia, we can see the practice of the monarchical system in ancient Vedic
India. According to Sharma & Singh, “ In Indian polity a state is considered to be an organic
entity consisting of seven elements , King (raja), minister (mantri), territory (janapada), fort
(durga), treasury (kosha), army ( bala) and friend (mitra) (Arthasastra 6.1.1). To show their
inter-relations they gave an analogy of a human body, "In it a king is the head of the body, while
ministers are the eyes, friends are the ears, treasury is the mouth, army is the brain, forts are the
arms and territory and public are the legs''(2010). From this we can understand how important
the concept of king was in Indian culture and norms. Monarchical structures were closely tied to
religious and mythical ideas, especially those related to “Rita”. This theory was essential to vedic
thinking and highlighted a natural and universal order that maintained universe harmony and
balance. One of the earliest and most renowned holy writings of the vedic religion, the Rigveda,
promoted rituals and sacrifices to maintain this cosmic order. Rituals, sacrifice and religious rites
were considered to sustain cosmic order or ‘Rita’. These orders were necessary for the
equilibrium of the society. These orders were implied mostly by the priest's class and rulers. The
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king’s or ‘raja’ main job was to keep “Rita” on Earth in harmony with society and the universe.
Many Vedic scriptures, notably the Rigveda, mention ‘Rita’ and the relationship between
monarchy and cosmic order. These texts have been widely examined to understand the ancient
Indian worldview and the relationship between religion and politics.
Moreover, Ancient Indian monarchs were supported by several factors. They do believed that
god selected the kings. Rulers were seen as upholders of Dharma and the path of morality and
their functions were strongly tied to religion. Dharma included moral and ethical guidelines for
societal peace According to Black, In the Dharmashastra ( written on Ethics) which was
composed back to the third century.There were commentaries on sacred scriptures, a part of
Brahmanical sacred literature, addressed civil and religious law (2009). In the Dharmashastra
the concept of the “Rajdharma” is also defined in a well manner. Also, the Vedas and other
ancient religious scriptures linked monarchy to cosmic order.

If we talk about the great advisor of Kautilya we can see how and
why he supported the concept of monarchy. He was a prominent
advisor of the Maurya empire. According to Black, “ Kautilya, author
of the sole surviving example of arthasastra, writing in the second
century bce, defined artha as “The subsistence of men '' or ‘the land
supplied with men’, arthashastra being the branch of knowledge
which treated of the means of acquiring and guiding these''(2009).
From this statement we can understand that Kautilya, the
Arthashastra's author, defined "artha" as human sustenance or an
inhabited land. He regarded arthashastra as the area of knowledge that concerns gaining and
preserving this wealth. Artha is the well-being, livelihood, and sustenance of a region's
inhabitants, and arthashastra is about collecting and safeguarding these resources. In his writing
of Arthashastra he explained about his mission of “Indian King” and also described how he
wanted Chakravartin to dominate the subcontinent to ensure peace and order. So we can say that
both the concept of Dharmashastra and Kautliya’s Arthashastra supported the concept of
monarchy. .
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In ancient Vedic India, the caste system was central to society and prominent in stories and tales.
These mythologies justified caste and social order with divine authority. Every level of the caste
system had its own duties and responsibilities. In the hierarchy of the caste system the Brahmins
were on the top. They preserved and interpreted and taught the
holy text to the others. The roles performed by brahmins were
depicted in these myths and stories As sacred and essential. They
played a role in blessing and applying the king. Which was a
significant part of the coronation process

These myths emphasized each caste's heavenly origins and

functions. They stressed that each caste had a role in upholding cosmic order and equilibrium.
This heavenly character legitimized the social framework, including kingship. Also, the caste
system and monarchy are linked by societal stability. The caste system gave society structure and
assigned obligations to each group. This arrangement maintained societal peace and also helped
to maintain no competition. This social order was maintained by the Kshatriya ruler, who upheld
caste privileges and obligations. In essence, caste myths and tales stressed each caste's
responsibility in sustaining cosmic order. This strengthened the social structure and gave the king
a divine and moral obligation to protect it. So we can say that the caste system and its beliefs
promoted social cohesiveness and provided a theological and moral underpinning for kingship,
helping develop and perpetuate monarchical institutions.

At the end, we can say that the caste system, mythology, religion, and imperial ideology
intertwined in ancient Vedic India, establishing monarchical institutions. Each caste's divine
origins and roles were reinforced by myths, and religious and political ideals were deeply rooted
in this social framework. Kautilya's concept of the Indian ruler complemented the caste structure,
which supported the monarchy's sociopolitical stability and economic viability. The complex
relationship of these variables shaped ancient Indian political culture and kingship.
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Now let's talk about a civilization from the Early Bronze Age which was located at the northern part of
Mesopotamia named “Assyrian civilization”. It was considered one the most wealthy and big empires
of that time. Historians divided the Assyrian Empire into three
different periods, Old Empire, Middle Empire and the late
Empire, which is also known as Neo- Assyrian Empire. In all
the period there were different kings who ruled and practiced the
monarchical systems. Now, We will find out how the
Ashur(capital of Assyrian Empire) was invented and how myth,
religion, and the imperial ideology helped to establish a
monarchial system in Assyrian context.

The Assyrian empire was located at the northern part of

Mesopotamia. The Assyrian Empire relied on mythology and
religious tales to support its monarchs. Now lets justify this
statement. The myths portrayed the king as a heavenly
representative with a divine right to exercise authority. The most
important myth that comes into Assyrian Empire is about the
“God Ashur”, which we all know as the “Cult of Ashur”. He was
considered as the supreme Assyrian God. And the name of the city Ashur came from his name. At
that time the city was controlled by a different and particular god. “Temples were centers of
administration, and for storing, distributing, and exchanging goods. Cities were identified with
particular gods, the god being the true owner and king of the city (Garelli 1979: 323), watching over
its fortunes. Enlil presided over Nippur, Marduk over Babylon, Ashur over Assyria”.(A World
History of Ancient Political Thought Its Significance and
Consequences by Black, Antony (z-lib.org).pdf, n.d.). So the
gods were in the power to control the city. According to Mark, “
A more likely account is that the city was named Ashur after the
deity of that name sometime in the 3rd millennium BCE; the
same god's name is the origin for 'Assyria'” (2018). In addition
to worship, Ashur was believed to bless and anoint the king by
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supporting his divine right to his rule. According to Mark, the first king of the Ashur was “Tudiya”,
and the people who followed him are known as “Kings who lived in tents”. Assyrian was an empire
which followed the concept of assimilation. They were found to conquer new states. According to
Sharma & Singh, “Assyrians, who emphasized assimilation and practiced incorporative strategies
that ultimately resulted in the formation of a new and broader” (2010). From this statement we can
relate that, because of this assimilation concept, the Assyrian empire became the greatest and most
powerful empire the world has ever seen.

Socio political ideology also helped to establish the concept of monarchy. “These city-states were
ruled by kings, sometimes alongside a civic assembly of elders, merchants, and others. The
dominant, indeed the only, ideology was kingship” (A World History of Ancient Political Thought
Its Significance and Consequences by Black, Antony (z-lib.org).p.32, n.d.). The statement refers to
the ancient city-state government. These city-states were ruled by monarchs and sometimes had a
civic assembly of elders, merchants, and other notables. However, these city-states' dominant and
frequently exclusive worldview was kingship. Kingship was the primary and, in many cases,
exclusive ruling philosophy in these ancient city-states. To express the imperial ideology they also
used arts to portray their politics. “Under the Akkadian kings Sargon and Naram-Sin during the late
third millennium, there was ‘a new emphasis on the royal person in the public plastic arts and public
display ceremonies’ (Michalowski 1993: 87). Kings ‘made art an instru-ment of their politics’ and
used it ‘to express the imperial ideology’ (A World History of Ancient Political Thought Its
Significance and Consequences by Black, Antony (z-lib.org).p.32, n.d.).The statement emphasizes
that Akkadian rulers emphasized the king's character in public art and ceremonial displays. In other
words, the monarchs began using art to demonstrate their political dominance.

So at the end, we can say that Ancient monarchical political cultures were shaped by myth, religion,
and imperial ideology. Mesopotamia's divine kingship, the Assyrian Empire's conquest-based power,
and Vedic India's cosmic order-driven monarchy show how monarchs justified, controlled, and
maintained their communities. This dynamic mix of religious and imperial ideals shows how myth
has been used to construct monarchies throughout history.
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References

Roy Willis - World Mythology_ The Illustrated Guide-Holt Paperbacks (1996).pdf. (n.d.). Google
Docs. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1h6vp9ClErFd09TMOOkF4tB3efymw7KQm/view

Mark, J. J. (2022). Enuma Elish - The Babylonian Epic of Creation - Full Text. World History
Encyclopedia.
https://www.worldhistory.org/article/225/enuma-elish---the-babylonian-epic-of-creation--
-fu/

Mark, J. J. (2022a). Ziggurat. World History Encyclopedia.

https://www.worldhistory.org/ziggurat/

Sharma, S. K., & Singh, V. K. (2010). INDIAN IDEA OF KINGSHIP. The Indian Journal of
Political Science, 71(2), 383–398. https://doi.org/10.2307/42753703

A world history of ancient political thought its significance and consequences by Black, Antony
(z-lib.org).pdf. (n.d.). Google Docs. Retrieved November 3, 2023, from
https://drive.google.com/file/d/11Q0IPBIrCKqvjYzLNtc6zL-G0y6BKINH/view