Most Ancient Aryan Society

Author(s): Ram Chandra Jain
Publisher: Institute of Bharatalogical Research Sriganganagar Rajasthan

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( 18 ) 'Lugal' which means 'great man'. He was neither a king nor a lord. Political assembly headed by lugal was the real sovereign power, god was only the titular head of the city. An American scholar Jacobson has called this system *Primitive Democracy'. He holds that pre-historic Mesopo. tamia was organised politically along democratic lines, not, as was historic Mesopotamia, along autocratic. The indica tions which we have, point to a form of Government in which the normal run of public affairs was handled by a council of elders but ultimate sovereignty resided in a general assembly comprising all members-or perhaps better, all adult free men of the community. This assembly settled conflicts arising in the community, decided on such major issues as war and peace, and could, if need arise, especially in & situation of war, grant supreme authority, kingship to one of its members for a limited period. Jacobson is a bit conservative. Looking to the status and prestige that women enjoyed, it appears almost improbable that they were debarred from the assembly membership. May be, they took very active part in it and successfully guided its deliberations. In any political system, political power always follows the economic power and women were economically independant and powerful in sumer. There was no slavery as such during this period in Sumer. It is almost certain that all the adult members possessed sovereignty and constituted the assembly. This republican type must have continued in Sumer till the voilent occupation of the realm by Sargon of Agade Circa 2350 B.C.
Indus script has not satisfactorily been deciphered, hence we have no access to the inscriptions to ascertain the
nature of political institutions obtaining in Jana Republics and Parişadas Bhārata in this age. But fortunately the in Bhārata
material relics found at Indus sites give &