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This 3 page paper discusses the temple-state system that became in the ancient Near East and the differences between the system in Mesopotamia and Egypt. Bibliography lists 4 sources.
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3 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_HVtmplst.rtf
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which doesnt have an exact analogy in the modern world. This paper briefly compares the temple-state systems of Mesopotamia and Egypt. Discussion In the ancient world, city-states and empires were
often both justified by "religious doctrines" (Harle, 1998, p. 101). Political ideas were not always enough and societies couldnt be molded by force; on the other hand, "abstract divine and
moral precepts" often needed the backing of politicians to carry any weight (Harle, 1998). Politics and religion were thus intertwined in the ancient Near East and in addition to this
interaction, a "third expression of the relationship was well known ... the temple-state" (Harle, 1998, p. 101). The temple-state was "a comprehensive social, religious and especially political system. Like the
conventional state, it defined and maintained ... the bases of the society," whether cultural, economic or otherwise (Harle, 1998, p. 101). The difference between the temple-state and other governments is
that it did not "legitimize the kings powers" unless the king was also the religious leader, which he often was; instead, it put power in the hands of the clergy,
the priests and "the church in general" (Harle, 1998, p. 101). Real power rested with the religious leader (Harle, 1998). Most of the references that appear when "temple-state" is the
prompt refer to Mesopotamia, which may indicate that it was the civilization where this was most prominent, or the most usual. At any rate, one source says that Sumer in
the "third millennium BC was divided into city-states. Each had at its centre the temple of the deity to whom the city belonged" (Minoan palaces). The temple was the center
of the city physically, as well as being the center of "all social, commercial and administrative activity" (Minoan palaces). The governor of the city was known as the "ensi," and
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