What were the religious purposes of ziggurats?
Ziggurat Temples Technical Information
- Culture: Architecture of Mesopotamia
- Topics: Religious Architecture, Temples, Desert Architecture, Pyramids, Massive Architecture
- Location: Mesopotamian valley and the western Iranian plateau
- Dates: 2900–2350 BC to 6th century BC
- Dimensions: 50 meters (170 feet) square or 40 × 50 meters (125 × 170 feet) at the base on average
What is a ziggurat and why is it important?
Why is a ziggurat important? Built in ancient Mesopotamia, a ziggurat is a type of massive stone structure resembling pyramids and featuring terraced levels. Accessible only by way of the stairways, it traditionally symbolizes a link between the gods and the human kind, although it also served practically as shelter from floods.
What is the significance of ziggurats?
Ziggurats were also vital in the early urbanization of Mesopotamia as communities formed around the important religious buildings. Perhaps just as important as the religious aspects, and possibly even more so, was the political legitimacy and gravitas a king or a dynasty could gain by building a ziggurat.
What are some interesting facts about ziggurats?
- The ziggurat at Babylon was named Etemenanki. This meant “Foundation of heaven and Earth” in Sumerian.
- The tall height of the ziggurat may have also been useful during the seasonal flooding.
- There were generally only a few ramps leading up to the top of the ziggurat. ...
- The early Egyptian pyramids were step pyramids similar to the ziggurat. ...
Why would they build a ziggurat?
The ziggurat was built to honor the main god of the city. The tradition of building a ziggurat was started by the Sumerians, but other civilizations of Mesopotamia such as the Akkadians, the Babylonians, and the Assyrians also built ziggurats.
What did Mesopotamia use ziggurats for?
Ziggurats were places where Mesopotamian gods were worshipped. They were giant stepped pyramids that towered above the landscape of ancient Mesopotamia. Ziggurats were built very tall with multiple levels and stairs in between. They reached toward the heavens where the gods were thought to dwell.
Why did Sumerians build ziggurats?
Its purpose is to get the temple closer to the heavens, and provide access from the ground to it via steps. The Mesopotamians believed that these pyramid temples connected heaven and earth. In fact, the ziggurat at Babylon was known as Etemenanki, which means "House of the foundation of heaven and earth" in Sumerian.
What is a ziggurat in simple words?
Definition of ziggurat : an ancient Mesopotamian temple tower consisting of a lofty pyramidal structure built in successive stages with outside staircases and a shrine at the top also : a structure or object of similar form.
What did the Ziggurats do?
Besides functioning as the earthly home of a particular deity, ziggurats were part of larger temple complexes where young men would study in scribal schools. Some of the world’s first astronomers observed the celestial bodies. [7]Under the shade of the towering ziggurats, Mesopotamian scholars developed advanced math, even formulating the concept of fractions, although all of their math and science was practical and not theoretical as it is today. [8]
What was the significance of the Ziggurats?
Modern archaeological excavations in Mesopotamia have determined that ziggurats were often the first buildings constructed in a settlement. They, in fact, provided much of the impetus for early urban development in Mesopotamia. [4]As Mesopotamian cities grew in size, ziggurats were also at the center of the growth.
What did the Mesopotamians learn from the Ziggurat Temple?
Mesopotamians took the knowledge they learned at ziggurat temple complexes to create bigger and more intricate ziggurats. Although ziggurats were awe-inspiring monuments to behold, they have, for the most part, not stood the test of time. Unlike the pyramids made of stone, ziggurats were made primarily of mud, brick, and clay with some stone. [9]
Why were ziggurats important?
An examination of the various dynasties that came to rule Mesopotamia shows that ziggurats were important for several reasons: they served as a way for the people to connect to their most important gods, they provided a focal point for the secular community, and they also acted as a visible and tangible sign of a king’s power. Any king worth his salt in ancient Mesopotamia had to build a ziggurat that could be seen for miles around, which would ultimately serve to immortalize him for posterity.
What material was used to build the ziggurat?
Unfortunately, despite being constructed with sound methods and mathematical precision, the core material of clay and mud-brick led to the demise of nearly every ziggurat in Mesopotamia. Today, only the ziggurats that have been preserved by modern antiquities services have survived, and oftentimes only the parts made of stone. With that said, the ephemeral nature of ziggurat building material was not enough to stop numerous kings from several dynasties from constructing ziggurats and improving their predecessors' techniques.
Where are the Ziggurats in Mesopotamia?
Map Depicting the Distribution of Known Ziggurats in Ancient Mesopotamia: Note that Most Are in the Fertile area between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers
Who were the first people to build ziggurats?
The Sumerians were the first ethnic group to bring civilization to Mesopotamia. They were also the first people to build ziggurats in the southern portion of that land, generally known as Sumer. It was during what is known as the Uruk Period (ca. 3500-2900 BC) – named for the city where civilization first began in Mesopotamia – when temples began to be built that can be considered “archaic” or proto-ziggurats. Essentially, the first of these ziggurats comprised a simple tower built on top of a platform. One of the first proto-ziggurats was known as the “White Temple,” which towered forty feet aboveUruk'se the city. [3]
What is a ziggurat?
A ziggurat ( / ˈzɪɡʊˌræt /; Akkadian: ziqquratu, D-stem of zaqāru 'to protrude, to build high', cognate with other semitic languages like Hebrew zaqar (זָקַר) 'protrude') is a type of massive structure built in ancient Mesopotamia. It has the form of a terraced compound of successively receding stories or levels.
When was the ziggurat invented?
The precursors of the ziggurat were raised platforms that date from the Ubaid period during the sixth millennium BCE. The ziggurats began as a platforms (usually oval, rectangular or square). The ziggurat was a mastaba -like structure with a flat top.
What is the name of the pyramid in Mesopotamia?
type of massive terraced structure built in ancient Mesopotamia. For other uses, see Ziggurat (disambiguation). Anu ziggurat and White Temple at Uruk. The original pyramidal structure, the "Anu Ziggurat", dates to the Sumerians around 4000 BCE, and the White Temple was built on top of it circa 3500 BCE.
What are the bricks on the ziggurat?
The sun-baked bricks made up the core of the ziggurat with facings of fired bricks on the outside. Each step was slightly smaller than the step below it. The facings were often glazed in different colors and may have had astrological significance. Kings sometimes had their names engraved on these glazed bricks.
Where is the Sialk Ziggurat?
The Sialk ziggurat, in Kashan, Iran, is one of the oldest known ziggurats, dating to the early 3rd millennium BCE. Ziggurat designs ranged from simple bases upon which a temple sat, to marvels of mathematics and construction which spanned several terraced stories and were topped with a temple. An example of a simple ziggurat is the White Temple ...
How many stairs are there in the ziggurat?
Since the shrine was accessible only by way of three stairways, a small number of guards could prevent non-priests from spying on the rituals at the shrine on top of the ziggurat, such as initiation rituals like the Eleusinian mysteries, cooking of sacrificial food and burning of sacrificial animals.
When was the Al Zaqura building built?
Interpretation and significance. Al Zaqura Building in Baghdad, constructed in the 1970s. According to Herodotus, at the top of each ziggurat was a shrine, although none of these shrines have survived.
What can we learn about the Ziggurats?
Just as is the case with the pyramids and Mayan temples, there is still much to be learned about the ziggurats of Mesopotamia. Archaeologists continue to discover new details about how the temples were constructed and used. Preserving what is left of these ancient temples has not been easy. Some were already in ruins by the time ...
Where is the Great Ziggurat located?
The Great Ziggurat of Ur near Nasiriyah, Iraq, has been thoroughly studied, leading to many clues regarding these temples. Early 20th-century excavations of the site revealed a structure that was 210 by 150 feet at the base and topped with three terrace levels.
What is the significance of the ramps in the pyramids?
There was significance in the number of levels to the top as well as the placement and incline of the ramps. Unlike step pyramids, these ramps included external flights of stairs. Some monumental buildings in Iran that might have been ziggurats are believed to have had only ramps, while other ziggurats in Mesopotamia used stairs.
Where is the Ziggurat temple?
Description. A ziggurat is a temple that was common in Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq and western Iran) during the civilizations of Sumer, Babylon, and Assyria. Ziggurats are pyramidal but not nearly as symmetrical, precise, or architecturally pleasing as Egyptian pyramids. Rather than the enormous masonry used to make the Egyptian pyramids, ...
What is the ziggurat of Babel?
The legendary Tower of Babel was one such ziggurat. It is believed to have been the ziggurat of the Babylonian god Marduk . Herodotus' "Histories" includes, in Book I, one of the best-known descriptions of a ziggurat: "In the middle of the precinct there was a tower of solid masonry, a furlong in length and breadth, ...
How long was the ziggurat?
Construction. The bases of ziggurats were either square or rectangular and 50 to 100 feet long per side . The sides sloped upward as each level was added. As Herodotus mentioned, there may have been up to eight levels, and some estimates place the height of some finished ziggurats around 150 feet.
Which city in Mesopotamia has a ziggurat?
One of the best-preserved ziggurats is Tchongha (or Chonga) Zanbil in the southwestern Iranian province of Khuzestan.
What is the Ziggurat?
Ziggurat, pyramidal stepped temple tower that is an architectural and religious structure characteristic of the major cities of Mesopotamia (now mainly in Iraq) from approximately 2200 until 500 bce. The ziggurat was always built with a core of mud brick and an exterior covered with baked brick.
How tall is the largest ziggurat in Iran?
The largest, at Choghā Zanbīl in Elam (now in southwestern Iran), is 335 feet (102 metres) square and 80 feet (24 metres) high and stands at less than half its estimated original height. A ziggurat, apparently of great antiquity, is located at Tepe Sialk in modern Kāshān, Iran.
Is a ziggurat preserved?
Take the quiz. No ziggurat is preserved to its original height. Ascent was by an exterior triple stairway or by a spiral ramp, but for almost half of the known ziggurats, no means of ascent has been discovered.
What is the purpose of a ziggurat?
The exact purpose of a ziggurat is unknown since these religions did not document their belief systems in the same manner as, for example, the Egyptians did. It is a fair assumption, though, to think that ziggurats, like most temple structures for various religions, was conceived of as homes for the local gods.
What is a ziggurat?
Unlike the Egyptian pyramids, a ziggurat was a solid structure with no internal chambers. An external staircase or spiral ramp provided access to the top platform. The word ziggurat is from an extinct Semitic language, and derives from a verb that means "to build on a flat space.".
What was the Hanging Gardens of Babylon?
It is likely that the terraced sides were planted with shrubs and flowering plants, and many scholars believe that the legendary Hanging Gardens of Babylon was a ziggurat structure.
How many ziggurats are there in Babylonia?
Sumer, Babylonia, and Assyria are known to have about 25 ziggurats, evenly divided among them. The shape of a ziggurat makes it clearly identifiable: a roughly square platform base with sides that recede inward as the structure rises, and a flat top presumed to have supported some form of a shrine.
When were Ziggurats built?
Ziggurats are some of the oldest of ancient religious structures in the world, with the first examples dating to about 2200 BCE and the last constructions dating to approximately 500 BCE. Only a few of the Egyptian pyramids predate the oldest ziggurats. Ziggurats were constructed by many local regions of the Mesopotamia regions.
Where is the Ziggurat located?
A ziggurat is a very ancient and massive building structure of a particular shape that served as part of a temple complex in the various local religions of Mesopotamia and the flat highlands of what is now western Iran.
Did priests worship at the Ziggurat?
There is no evidence to suggest they were used as locations for public worship or ritual, and it is believed that only priests were generally in attendance at a ziggurat. Except for small chambers around the bottom outer level, these were solid structures with no large internal spaces.
What is the purpose of a ziggurat?
The purpose of a ziggurat was to keep a home or a sacred place for the gods, feed the hungry citizens of Mesopotamia, have celebrations, have school lessons for the Mesopotamian kids, and have courts for people committing serious crimes made from the rules of The Code Of Hammuraubi . The ancient Sumerians built the ziggurat towers with each one being the base building for the temples on top that were dedicated to the Mesopotamian gods and goddesses. Also, A Ziggurat is the biggest building in a Sumerian village or in a City-State towering above all of the other buildings.
Where did the name Ziggurat come from?
The name Ziggurat is an English form of the Akkadian word ziqqurratum, meaning tall mud brick buildings with stairs leading up the layers of the tower. It originated from the word zaqaru. The ziggurat was part of the religious architecture placed at the center of Mesopotamian city-states and was probably a building of most cities after c.2000 B.C. Tons of mud bricks were used in the construction/making of each Ziggurat. Layers of bricks were often separated by layers of reeds, helping to spread the amount or create drainage areas. Baked bricks were used to protect the outside of the Ziggurats from rain and wind.
When were Ziggurat temples built?
The Ziggurat Temples were originally built on platforms. During the third millennium B. C., these were made higher and bigger. Eventually it was decided to build even higher temples on platforms which were stepped. These stepped towers we call ziggurats. By 2000 B.C. mud-brick ziggurats were being constructed in many Sumerian cities. Later, ziggurats were constructed in Babylonian and Assyrian cities.
Overview
Description
Ziggurats were built by ancient Sumerians, Akkadians, Elamites, Eblaites and Babylonians for local religions. Each ziggurat was part of a temple complex that included other buildings. The precursors of the ziggurat were raised platforms that date from the Ubaid period during the sixth millennium BC. The ziggurats began as platforms (usually oval, rectangular or square). The ziggurat was a m…
History
The word ziggurat comes from ziqqurratum (height, pinnacle), in ancient Assyrian. From zaqārum, to be high up. The Ziggurat of Ur is a Neo-Sumerian ziggurat built by King Ur-Nammu, who dedicated it in honor of Nanna/Sîn in approximately the 21st century BC during the Third Dynasty of Ur.
Interpretation and significance
According to Herodotus, at the top of each ziggurat was a shrine, although none of these shrines have survived. One practical function of the ziggurats was a high place on which the priests could escape rising water that annually inundated lowlands and occasionally flooded for hundreds of kilometres, for example, the 1967 flood. Another practical function of the ziggurat was securit…
Influence
The biblical account of the Tower of Babel has been associated by modern scholars to the massive construction undertakings of the ziggurats of Mesopotamia, and in particular to the ziggurat of Etemenanki in Babylon in light of the Tower of Babel Stele describing its restoration by Nebuchadnezzar II.
The design of Egyptian pyramids, especially the stepped designs of the oldest pyramids (Pyrami…
See also
• Mound
• Pyramid
• Stupa
Further reading
• Black, J.A.; Green, A. "Ziggurat". In Bienkowski, P.; Millard, A. (eds.). Dictionary of the Ancient Near East. London: British Museum. pp. 327–328.
• Beck, Roger B.; Black, Linda; Krieger, Larry S.; Naylor, Phillip C.; Dahia Ibo Shabaka (1999). World History: Patterns of Interaction. Evanston, IL: McDougal Littell. ISBN 0-395-87274-X.
External links
• UNESCO Heritage site for Choqa Zanbil ziggurat, Iran.
• Article on the status of Sialk ziggurat, Iran.