Were Pagan Religions early Information Systems? Can we learn from them?
Written by Garry Tiscovschi, reviewed by Saskia Higgins & Mykola Babiy
In 336 BC, before starting his Persian campaign, Alexander the Great visited the Delphic Oracle wishing to hear a prophecy about his future conquests. The oracle refused a direct comment and asked him to come later. Furious, Alexander began to draw her out of the chamber by force until she screamed “Thou art invincible, my son!”
“ἀνίκητος εἶ ὦ παῖ.”
Hearing these words he dropped her, saying, “Now I have my answer”(Plutarch 1989).
Pagan religions and prophecies could be important mediums for communication, and fun propaganda like in the case above. During our publication’s dive into Alexander’s conquests we were fascinated by the many other organizational functions Hellenic faith carried out in society. This blog will explore some examples of this, the purpose behind them and whether there is anything we can learn from these in the development of our own modern institutions.
Religious figures like the one mentioned above often served as more than just a ‘Meet the Flintstones’ version of media spin. The ability of learned advisors to comment on policy and military operations via ‘omens’ and religious concerns provided an interesting medium to politely critique and advise the often not-so-friendly leaders of the era.
An example of religious pressure being exerted to challenge controversial policies is Alexander’s withdrawal from the introduction of Proskynesis (translated: “kissing towards”) in his new realm. When Alexander III became king of Persia in 330 B.C he began to adopt aspects of the conquered peoples’ culture. Often this was a successful policy, introducing new ideas to his empire, and ingratiating himself with the locals. One such adoption however was not as successful. Proskynesis was a Persian custom of showing ritual obeisance to superiors. Sources differ, but this could range from hand kissing and bowing to full prostration and fawning(Arrian 1884; Quintus 1984).
Many of the king’s followers resented this policy. Some supposedly felt challenged by those they accused as “Persian-esque sycophants”(Arrian 1884; Plutarch 1989). Famously the court historian, Callisthenes, rebuked the practice as un-pious. Hand kissing and prostration was reserved for the gods in Hellenic culture. This religious argument was central to the political discussion that ensued(Quintus 1984). Alexander ended up not enforcing the need to prostrate before him in his court(Arrian 1884).
(Side note: Discussions of Proskynesis can be tinted by moralization from Roman historians, other interpretations exist, but that is not this blog’s focus)
A modern improved iteration of this could be the rising popularity of Agile Development today (Reis 2011). Employees with less corporate authority can sometimes set in motion ideas and policies by backing them with user research and business experiments. It can be useful to draw upon authority outside just your own opinions. In the past this could be spiritual teachings and tradition, today this authority can be hard data. Creating mechanisms for this outside authority to be drawn upon lets more people get better involved in development.
Another way Hellenic institutions served an organizational purpose in Greek society was by supporting social behavior. Citizens were expected to take part in regular community rituals and in sacrificing to the gods. Not going through at least the basic motions could lead to negative consequences, if not from disappointed deities then from your neighbours (Pollard & Adkins 2020). Orthodoxy and religious ideology was generally not imposed but complete disregard of custom was also not supported. The enforcement of regular public feasting and sacrifice could help prevent community members from spiraling into isolation and descending into a cycle of negative mental health. Particularly important when you don’t have Zoom hangouts to fall back to.
Exact practices differed since Hellenismos lacked a central politicized authority, but regular festivals often involved ceremonial sacrificing and feasting. Dancing, group screaming, singing, and music could accompany an ox or another animal being led to the altar (Burkert 1985). Community members would then offer its bones and other inedible chunks(the best bits) to the gods before preparing the meat and wine to be enjoyed together. The hides could be left with the temple to generate revenue. That the humans got more from the sacrifice than the deity did not escape the participants, and was the subject of humor in Greek comedy(Burkert 1985). Is it possible to be gloomy while screaming, dancing, and sharing bovine animals with supernatural beings?
Furthermore, local elites were expected to maintain religious institutions to complete civic duties and create cohesion within the Greek cities. Alexander was no exception to this. At the time, a common way to honour the gods was hosting public sport events(Arrian 1884). The Macedonian would do this regularly even while campaigning. Nowadays, we have research presenting the many physical, mental, and societal benefits of sport, before that intuition, observation, tradition, and the god’s favor would be sufficient evidence for its necessity.
Pagan institutions could benefit health further by leading people in rituals and meditation. Aesthetic experiences, self-reflection, positive visualization (like with sacrifice and prayer), etc. are seen by many as healthy practices. Plutarch describes Alexander taking hours in ritualistic meditation and then sleeping like a log before major battles such as Gaugamela (1989). Others with less fortitude might’ve lost just a little sleep the night prior to facing an army of 60–100 thousand(Clark, Turner 2018) . Popular apps like Headspace, and recent developments in corporate wellness programs have created opportunities to organisationally lead more meditative ceremonies in our own busy lives. Still, as of the writing of this blog these are not as widespread as pagan rituals were in the Hellenic world. We might want to reflect not just on ourselves but on history to see where our modern institutions can take a page from the ancients. Upgrading our own organisations to support the further development of community, health, and communication is something that shouldn’t be overlooked.
Hellenic paganism was a key part of Greek culture, operating as a proto-information system. It helped communicate ideas & political messages, created mediums for conversation, enforced social cohesion, and developed a support network for good social, physical and mental health. Alexander’s “Olympian background” has played a role in his “invincibility” regardless of whether those Olympian’s existed or not.
What do you think? Can we study the functionality behind pagan faiths from an organizational lens? Was the Hellenic pantheon beneficial or detrimental to Macedon’s development? Comment below!
References:
- Arian (1884) The Anabasis of Alexander. Translated by Chinnock E.J, London, Selwood Printing Works
- Burkert W & Raffan J(1985), Greek Religion, Massachusetts, Harvard University Press
- Clark, J. H, and Turner, B. (eds) (2018). Brill’s Companion to Military Defeat in Ancient Mediterranean Society, Leiden, Brill
- Plutarch(1989), Plutarch’s lives. Translated by Perrin, Massachusetts Harvard University Press
- Pollard J.R.T & Adkins A.W.H. (2020). Greek religion. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Greek-religion [Last accessed 16/02/2021]
- Quintus Curtius Rufus (1984) The History of Alexander. Translated by John Yardley, London, Penguin Classics
- Reis E,(2011) The Lean Startup: How Today’s Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses, Manhattan, Crown Publishing Group
