In Mesopotamia, what term describes a government where priests wield political power?

• A. Theocracy
• B. Autocracy
• C. Oligarchy
• D. Tyranny

Answer: (A)

In this context the governing system is defined by religious leaders holding political power and ruling in the name of the gods. In Mesopotamia, temples were not just religious centers; they were economic and administrative hubs. Priests managed land, irrigation, tax collection, and city administration, and they claimed authority granted by the divine. Because the gods were believed to directly oversee the world and the city, political decisions and leaders were legitimated by that divine sanction, making the governance essentially a theocracy.

The other possibilities don’t fit as precisely: autocracy focuses on rule by a single person regardless of religious authority; oligarchy on rule by a small elite; tyranny on oppressive rule by one ruler. None of these inherently describes the central role of priests and the divine justification for political power that defines a theocracy.