Abstract

The relationship between religion and the political community formed within the framework of polytheistic systems led to the phenomenon of state religion. We find its first traces in ancient Egypt and Sumer. In Egypt, the pharaohs were considered the incarnation of the god Horus, whose name they took when they embraced the throne. Pharaohs presided over religious ceremonies. They were also responsible for sustaining Maat – a divine world order that guaranteed order, harmony, balance, justice and law. In Sumer, in turn, the city-states had guardian gods, who from among the entire pantheon of deities enjoyed special favors. Sumerian and Akkadian rulers often presided over religious practices. Some of them entered the pantheon of the gods, either after death (Gilgamesh, Sargon the Great), or during their lifetime (Gudea of ​​Lagash, Shulgi of Ur). The Greek city-states also had their gods, whose exceptional cult and worship in a given city were to guarantee the safety and prosperity of the entire community on the part of the divine guardian. State religion also played an important role in ancient Rome. First, it served as an integrating factor for Rome’s inhabitants. Second, it strengthened the significance and importance of state institutions. Along with imperial development, the search for more universal religious and political forms, a cult of emperors – both living and dead – developed...