Religious temples were built on flat platforms, growing higher and bigger, until eventually the Mesopotamians built stepped temples. Over hundreds of years, these temples grew significantly in size. These mud-brick towers were called ziggurats and were being constructed in Sumerian cities by 2000 B. C. The ziggurat was a huge platform, often decorated with mosaic or trees, with a series of smaller platforms on top. The stepped pyramid had stairs leading to the top, the sacred spot, where there were shrines.
The legendary “Tower of Babel” was one such ziggurat. Rather than the enormous stonework that was used on Egyptian pyramids, ziggurats were built of smaller sun-baked bricks. There was significance in the number of levels on the way to the top, and the placement and incline of the ramps. One of the oldest ziggurats was discovered at Eridu and had burnt fish inside it, giving archeologists the impression that they were religious temples and the fish was an offering to the gods. The people of Mesopotamia wanted the homes of the gods to be higher than their own houses.
Sumerians believed the gods came from the mountains and some believe the ziggurats were shaped like mountains due to this reason. Each ziggurat was dedicated to the city’s most important god or goddess, and was given a name. For example the ziggurat at Ur was the home of the moon god Nanna, while Enki, the god of wisdom and fresh water, lived at Eridu. Ur-Nammu built ziggurats in the Sumerian cities of Uruk, Eridu and Nippur, but the best preserved is at Ur. His empire lasted about 100 years and then other people controlled the cities but ziggurats continued to be built or rebuilt.
The Essay on Sumerian Art Kleiner Temple City
What was once the flat lower valley of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers was transformed by the Sumerians into the Fertile Crescent of the ancient world. (Kleiner 18) The Sumerian art was one of great power and originality, and influenced all of the cultures of western Asia. (Infoplease 1) Sumerian art was primarily made of clay, because it was their most abundant material. It's responsible for ...
All cities had their own ziggurats and they were built in Mesopotamia until Persian times when new types of religious buildings became popular. Gradually the ziggurats decayed and their bricks were robbed for other buildings. Many southern Mesopotamia cities were abandoned, and ziggurats were investigated once again several centuries later. Part 3 The ziggurat was one of the most important aspects of Babylonian religion and tradition. It has given us insight on how important the ancient Mesopotamian people considered their religion.
It represents the civilization’s morals, beliefs, and way of life. It was an important and easily the most conspicuous building in the city. They were built on an enormous scale and during the time of Hammurabi, sometimes reached 150 feet. It would tower above visitors and locals, making it not only a religious center but also a center of civic pride. Ziggurats were one of the first large- scale religious structures. Sumerians were one of the first civilizations and their buildings helped us understand how sophisticated and advanced they were.
The ziggurat provides us with insight on their technology, engineering techniques and architectural designs. They were one of the first people to build something at that magnitude. Moreover, the Egyptians and Chaldeans were influenced by early ziggurats and took these innovations and transformed them into pyramids, city walls, and temples in the future. The size of these structures also shows the kings’ greed for power. The kings that built and rebuilt the ziggurats often had their names stamped or carved into the bricks.
They tried building bigger and higher ziggurats than before in order to leave their legacy. They wanted the future generations to know about their great influence and power. The biggest and most prominent ziggurats give us an idea about the power and influence of the king that ruled during the time it was built or rebuilt.
