| Role | Responses to rigid hierarchies and social stratification |
| Type | Social and cultural groups |
| Impact | Shaping political landscape • Lasting cultural legacies |
| Examples | Far-World Priests of Sumeria • Knights of Isis in Ancient Egypt • Scribe-Artisans of Phoenicia |
| Emergence | |
| Characteristics | Unique religious practices • Distinct intellectual domains • Skilled artisanal trades |
