| Summary: | Mesopotamia, whose origins date back to prehistoric times, is considered to be the oldest civilization. In spite of many serious gaps in the research material, the scientific research suggests that there are quite surprising solutions regarding the links between law and religion. The first legal regulations in the Sumerians are connected with the development of cities and leadership, clearly set in their religious beliefs. The institution of a king, appointed in this civilization quite early, is understood as an intermediary between the divine and the human world. This does not, however, equate religion with politics, as it is evidenced by the legal regulations in Mesopotamia. The king who is a law representative is not a representative of the deity. The established norms mean that he does not treat the subordinates as coming from god. It proves the separation between the Sumerian politics and religion. They are not yet aware of the consequences of this distinction, as it is evidenced by their inconsistency in terms of sanctions. By establishing the penalty for disobedience against the law he creates, the king refers to the deity, which in this way, without being a source of law, is treated as its protection.
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