The Lecture Series
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“You’re drunk again, Sir.”

Yes. Yes, I am.
[beat]
Didn’t expect honesty, did you? Well, let me assure you, my own state of inebriation—while perhaps personally distressing to you--doesn’t do a whole lot to change 10,000 years of history.
“but Sir...”
Yes?
[beat]
“...nothing, Sir.”

Any other commentary, or can I start today’s lecture?
[cricket chirp]
Well, since I said 10,000 years ago, maybe today we should start there. That's roughly where we left off last time anyway.

It would seem that civilization, or at least, the city-based habits and institutions that we have since come to associate with the word 'civilization', got started about that long ago. Cities seem to have arisen independently in a number of river valleys around the world: the Indus, the Nile, the Yellow River, and the Tigris and Euphrates are the best examples because of the relative wealth of archaeological evidence. Sketchier evidence points to very similar things happening on the Mississippi, the Danube, and the Volga. Since many materials used in construction—wood, wattle and daub, mud brick—are subject to either decomposition or rain erosion, it shouldn't be surprising that we only find stone monuments, and those in areas where climate change has converted the plains into deserts. If the evidence survived, I think we might be surprised at how advanced some stone age 'tribes' really were. As it is.. there is only theory and supposition.

It could be that the twin development of city and civilization is a function of river valleys everywhere. The exception to the rule, the development of the great Central American cities around 900AD would seem to be an anomaly, but new satellite images are now showing us the canal system that was in place that supported these complexes. I feel safe in saying that any fresh water source will eventually lead to large scale agriculture and the development of city centers.

The other dynamic for city development, trade and shipping, will develop a bit later. And we might get to that later in the course. For now, we'll concentrate on the link between grain and god:

While it can be difficult to trace the origin of theocratic systems, it seems professional priesthoods really got going about the same time large groups of people began to gather in cities-- much like prostitution.

Prior to urbanization, the shaman or hermit could only provide service to his neighbors; the members of his sib or tribe, the residents of a nearby village, that kind of thing. And if we assume that early man was much like modern isolated or undeveloped tribes before the conquering European colonials “saved” them—an assumption which may be relatively safe, but not a given—it would seem that many of these holy men lived apart. The touch of the divine made them, in some way, unclean. Unfit to socialize with. Better avoided unless one needed the intervention of gods and spirits; for healing, or for guidance, or for those ceremonies that were necessary for the tribal group.

“what, like Sunday Mass?”

Perhaps not even weekly. One obvious example which seems reasonably widespread is that of male initiation, where young boys become men. Initiation rituals might take place only once a year, if that, depending on the ages of boys within the group. Seasonal ceremonies, like the winter solstice, also seem to be widely celebrated. And in fact that sort of mid-winter festival can be said to have modern forms as well, with the number of December holidays observed by many different faiths.

“Christmas is the day the baby Jesus was born. It’s just a coincidence that it happens to be in December.”

Actually, Christmas falls on 25 December because of a Papal decree back in the 4th century. It can still vary by as much as two weeks, depending on the date and calendar one uses, and apparently no one really knew the exact date anyway. A date on or near the winter solstice was picked intentionally by the early church to help the Christians compete with Mithraism. Apparently that particular marketing move was successful, because we hardly hear anything about Mithra nowadays.

“Marketing? Religion isn’t a business, Prof. It’s a matter of faith and God. How can you compare the search for God with something like an advertising campaign?”

Actually, you’d be surprised. The bill of goods being sold may be different, but it is still a matter of sales. Money is a part of it, and likely always has been at least a peripheral concern of priests—and I have a suspicion that money was the primary object, at least at one time.

“The Papal excesses were corrected as part of the Counter-reformation, and with the splintering of the Christian church into Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant denominations I don’t think you can compare modern churches to the medieval church, or accuse them of the same excesses.”

Yes, Miss Volstead. And I’m pleased at least one student is both prepared and knowledgeable. Right, Jimmy?

[waking]
[snort] “Huh. What, Prof?”

go back to sleep, Jimmy. We are talking about religion in general terms at the moment. I'm not picking on Christianity. If it makes you feel better, I'm going to discuss issues that are prehistoric, mainly from Mesopotamia, and not about modern religion at all except as might be obliquely referenced by analogy. However, looking at modern examples... Daphne, are you saying that theme parks and satellite TV networks are part of some god’s plan for ministering to those who suffer and call out in prayer for help?

“Sir, you are bringing up a few bad apples on purpose. That's not faith.”

My point would be that they are typical examples, that modern cons are as much a part of religion as a human institution as anything else. If it makes you feel better, I'll concede that Religion as Divine Revelation is different-- but only if you'll let me occasionally remark on the ways we poor humans have corrupted religion over the years.

Perhaps we’ll get back to modern excesses later. I was trying to lay some ground work for early religion in the very first urban centers. The transition from Shamans to Princes.

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