The Worthiest Kings
Whilst religion varied between city-states, they were mostly polytheistic. One thing that this meant was that they believed that the world was a flat disc, but more importantly than that, they believed there kings descended from the gods. This was one of the reasons why they respected there kings so much. Kings, and priests, were thought to be conveyors of the messages of the gods, so they must be treated well, right? Not only that, but there was likely a belief that you would be punished for disrespecting them.
The King's Responsibility
In the Mesopotamian religion, the celestials were what brought order from the chaos. To keep order throughout the universe, was the Sky God Anu's - chief of the heavens - responsibility. The king was Anu's representative on Earth, and so his responsibility was to manifest the divine order into human society. This gave the King authority that no other man had the right to possess - at least in their minds.
Whilst religion varied between city-states, they were mostly polytheistic. One thing that this meant was that they believed that the world was a flat disc, but more importantly than that, they believed there kings descended from the gods. This was one of the reasons why they respected there kings so much. Kings, and priests, were thought to be conveyors of the messages of the gods, so they must be treated well, right? Not only that, but there was likely a belief that you would be punished for disrespecting them.
The King's Responsibility
In the Mesopotamian religion, the celestials were what brought order from the chaos. To keep order throughout the universe, was the Sky God Anu's - chief of the heavens - responsibility. The king was Anu's representative on Earth, and so his responsibility was to manifest the divine order into human society. This gave the King authority that no other man had the right to possess - at least in their minds.