Power in Complex Societies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Power in Complex Societies - Essay Example The gods were worshiped with a lot of respect and anything that was said to come from the god was not taken lightly. The ancient leaders knew this and took the fullest advantage of this. The brains of the communities were brainwashed to trust religion. In ancient Egypt, the king ruled over the people and even owned their wealth. This way, he was able to control the people in totality. The king visited the temple regularly to assert his power. He also participated in the rituals of the community. The kings mainly used this source of power where the military and political power also had other determinants (O’Connor & Reid 176). He could then capture the minds of the people. In ancient Athens, there was great reference to religion. The ways of the gods were respected just like in ancient Egypt. In Athens, there were several impiety trials for those who did not respect religion. For example, Anaxagoras was prosecuted for doubting the existence of the god sun. The leaders knew this too well and thus by using religion, they dictated how the Athenians lived. They also protected their dynasties using religion. The Athenians had a lot of belief in prophecy and there were a lot of divinations. In most instances, the results of the divinations favored the reigns of the leaders who were there at the time. Religion also shaped the political culture at the time and thus was the main source of power in most ancient kingdoms including Athens. Sparta had a sophisticated ideological system. The system of power dictated that few elite people ruled over the majority in the community. Sparta had both military and political power. The king was also the spiritual leader of the people and that used this role to assert his authority in the community. Being militaristic state, the ideologies that the community believed played a great role in propelling the dynasties that reigned at the