Welcome to The Rise of Polytheism!

As civilizations grew, many societies organized the natural and social world through multiple gods—each connected to forces like storms, harvest, war, and justice. Volume 3 explores why polytheism made sense in early states, how temples and priests shaped society, and how religion supported political power and daily life.

These labs set up the “many gods” world that later monotheistic faiths emerged within.

Mini Labs in This Volume:

• Why Many Gods? Systems of Divine Roles — V3 L1

  How civilizations mapped life needs onto different deities.

• Mesopotamia: City-States, Temples, and Priests — V3 L2

  Ziggurats, patron gods, and religion as civic order.

• Egypt: Divine Kingship and the Afterlife — V3 L3

  Pharaohs, Ma’at, and why afterlife beliefs mattered.

• Greece & Rome: Myth, Civic Life, and Empire — V3 L4

  Gods, public rituals, and religion tied to citizenship.

• Religion and Power in Ancient States — V3 L5

  How belief supported rulers—and how rulers used belief.