At the head was the high-priest, who in early times possessed temporal power and in many states was the predecessor of the king.

The king, in fact, inherited his priesthood from him, and was consequently qualified to perform priestly functions.

Under the high-priest there were numerous classes of ministers of the gods, such as the "anointers," whose duty it was to anoint the holy images with oil, the ordinary "priests," the "seers," and the "prophets." The prophets enjoyed high consideration; they even accompanied the army to the field, and decided whether the campaign would result in victory or defeat.

Quite apart from all these were the astrologers, who did not belong to the priesthood at all.

On the contrary, they professed to be men of science, and the predictions of the future which they read in the stars were founded on the records and observations of former generations.
A chief part of the duty of the priests consisted in offering sacrifice and reciting the services.