Divine Kingship & the Mandate to Rule

In Mesopotamian thought, kingship was not invented by people but 'lowered from heaven' by the gods — a divine office bestowed on one man and, through him, on his city. The king ruled as the gods' chosen steward: he was called, named, and equipped by them, and his duty was to maintain justice, build and feed the temples, and defend the land. When a dynasty fell, it was because the gods had withdrawn kingship and granted it elsewhere. Some kings (notably in the Ur III period) were even deified, but kingship as such was always understood as a sacred trust held on the gods' behalf.