ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS
AND RELIGION
Religion and Society from a
Sociological Perspective
THE PRIMITIVE MEN
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Primitive men and the environment
Forces of nature and the search for
explanations
Interpretation of natural events and
beings as religious phenomena
Towards a social life: the tribe
Collective labor, collective identity
and collective belief
ELEMENTARY FORMS OF
RELIGION
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TOTEMISM
The Totem as the symbol whereby
the mystical powers surrounding the
members of the tribe are
concentrated
Mana and the totem
Mana, totem and taboo
ELEMENTARY FORMS OF
RELIGION
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ANIMISM
Worshipping the spirits of nature
Mankind as an inseparable element
of nature
ELEMENTARY FORMS OF
RELIGION
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ANCESTOR CULT
The concept of Spirit: Death and Sleep
Worshipping the Spirits of the ancestors
ANCIENT FORMS OF RELIGION
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From pastoral nomads (huntersgatherers) to settled social
communities (agrarian)
Division of labor and specialization
Social life, social order and laws
Social hierarchy
Systematic society – systematic
belief forms
The Pantheons (Polytheism)
THE PANTHEON
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Personification of natural beings and
forces, even emotions
Gods and Goddesses regulating the lives
and social order of mankind
Pantheon: sum of Gods and Goddesses in
any polytheist belief system
Different communities, different names,
identical functions
The Chaos-Order theme in polytheist
religions: Gods and pre-Gods
CHAOS & ORDER
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Sumerian and Babylonian Pantheons
Cosmogony: Creation of the universe and
its chaotic situation
Chaotic cosmic forces giving birth to Gods
and Goddesses
The tale of Marduk and Tiamat
MARDUK AND TIAMAT
CHAOS & ORDER
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Ancient Egyptians
Re (Ra) and Apophis
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Ancient Greeks
Gods (order) rebelling against the
Titans (chaos)
ZEUS & KRONOS
AGRARIAN SOCIETY AND
AGRARIAN THEMES IN
RELIGION
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Osiris Cult in
Ancient Egypt
DEMETER AND DIONYSOS
CULTS IN ANCIENT GREECE
A NEW THEME IN POLYTHEISM:
GOOD GODS and EVIL GODS
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The Zoroastrian Religion in ancient Persia
Ahuramazda (good) and Ahriman (evil)
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Ancient Turks
Ulgen (good) and Erlik (evil)
TOWARDS MONOTHEIST
RELIGIONS
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The Aton Cult in Ancient Egypt