The Great Ziggurat of Ur
was constructed by the ancient Sumerian of the third dynasty of Ur. Located in
present day Dhi Qar Province, Iraq, the
stepped pyramid was built around 2100 B.C.E. by King UR-Nammu and dedicated to
the moon god Nanna. The ancient Ziggurats are the most influential architectural
creation of antiquity.
The Moon God Nanna visits his Ziggurat. Image source: AncientWorlds |
The Ziggurat measures 64
m in length, 30 m in width and is thought to have stood 30 m in height however,
because the top tiers have been destroyed. The core of the Ziggurat was filled
with mud bricks, while the façade used sun baked bricks and bitumen. The bricks
measured approximately 11.5” x 11.5” x 2.75” and weighed as much as 33 pounds
each. Three massive stair cases rose to the first terrace with a single
staircase rising to the second and third. Atop the third terrace stood the
temple of Nanna. When the site was excavated, evidence suggested the temple was
constructed using blue died bricks. (1)
The Great Ziggurat was
constructed in the city-state of Ur, an ancient Sumerian civilization that, at
the height of its power, controlled much of Mesopotamia. The Ziggurat would
have towered over the surrounding city and area, extending into the realm of
gods. Thus, the ancient Sumerians believed that the moon god Nanna lived atop
the temple. During the excavation of the Ziggurat, archeologists found remnants
of a bedchamber, believed to be for their god. The bedchamber was also home to
handmaidens chosen to serve the god. (2)
What remains of the Ziggurat of Ur today. Source: Epistematica
|
Over time, the River
Euphrates, which had once ran on the outskirts of Ur, had changed its course.
As a result the great city-state of Ur was abandoned and lost to time. In the
early 19th century, European explorers had rediscovered Ur and the
Ziggurat. During initial excavation of the site, it was discovered that the
Ziggurat had fallen into disrepair and restored in the sixth century B.C.E
under King Nabodinus, the last Neo-Babylonian king. It is speculated that the
upper two terraces had been restored. Then, in the late 1980’s, Saddam Hussein
had the façade of the foundation restored. Today, all that remains of the Great
Ziggurat of Ur is its massive foundation.
1. Web Source
https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ancient-art-civilizations/ancient-near-east1/sumerian/a/ziggurat-of-ur
2. Web Source
http://www.ancient-origins.net/ancient-places-asia/great-ziggurat-ur-001767
3. Book Source
Roth,
Leland M. and Amanda C. Roth Clark. Understand Architecture Its Elements,
History, and Meaning. Westview Press, CO, 1993
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