Abstract
Very early on, interesting explanations in epics and myths showed how scholars in the Ancient East imagined the emergence of " knowledge of the world " and cultural techniques. In the first millennium BC, numerous texts show how scholars placed the discovery of civilization in primitive times and situated their own guild almost at the origin of the world. Their mastery of the " knowledge of power " assured them income, prestige and influence, but also made them dependent on royalty. This lecture will show how scholars, by associating erudition with the royal function fixed by the gods, made themselves indispensable in society.
