The second important detail is that the walls are built with a slight slope. It was envisaged that if this detail were not considered, the structure could swell, soften, and collapse when exposed to heavy rains. At this point, the Sumerians drilled hundreds of square holes in the exterior of the baked bricks in order to ensure rapid evaporation. It is known that the ziggurats are formed from an inner core of mud brick surrounded by sun-baked bricks, and this mud-brick core is capable of retaining moisture entering the structure. It would not be wrong to say that the three ingenious approaches of the Sumerian engineers, who played a major role in its construction, enabled us to see the present state of the ziggurat. It is known that the main stairs reaching the terraces in the structure, where the moon and sun cycles are considered important, are also directed toward the summer solstice sunrise. In the structure where the base remains intact, it is seen that each corner shows a definite main direction, like a compass, as a reflection of Sumerian knowledge. It is possible to reach many details from the current state of the ziggurat. The estimated original version of the Ziggurat of Ur_©Dea Picture Library Today, the top of the ziggurat stands as a flat terrace. Unfortunately, there are no remains of this floor. In these images, it is seen that there is an ornamented temple at the top of the ziggurat, reached by massive stairs. And as a result of this study, images that are estimated to resemble the original were produced. These studies consisted of various written sources and environmental information. Extensive research has been done to understand what the original state looks like. With the information obtained from the excavations, it was seen that the structure had an upper terrace in its original form. Although the temple part, which is thought to be on the top terrace, has completely disappeared today, the three main stairs that provide access to the terraces and doors were reached and restored after this excavation. The remaining base consisted of more than 720,000 meticulously stacked adobe bricks, each weighing 15 kg. Leonard Woolley from the project report Partially restored The Ziggurat of Ur in 1980’s_©Jan van der Crabben DetailsĪfter the excavation, it was seen that only the lowest part of the structure remained. Leonard Woolley from the project report One of the Stairways on the Ziggurat of Ur_©C. Leonard Woolley from the project report The lower Stage of the Ziggurat of Ur after excavation_©C. The Ziggurat of Ur during the excavation of Wolley_©C. After Woolley unearthed the remains, in the 1980s, during Saddam Hussein’s reign, the façade and the monumental stairs were partially reconstructed to restore their former appearance. Woolley’s information from this excavation was that it was a massive rectangular pyramidal structure, 210 by 150 feet, oriented north, originally built with three levels of terraces, standing between 70 and 100 feet. With this excavation, the University of Pennsylvania Museum in Philadelphia and the British Museum in London unearthed the entire monument in a joint project. Between 19, excavations were carried out under the leadership of Sir Leonard Woolley. Sir Leonard Woolley discovered the remains in the twentieth century. This information was obtained from the remains. However, it was in ruins during the Neo-Babylonian Empire in the 6th century and was restored by King Nabonidus. The structure was built in the early Bronze Age. ![]() ![]() The Ziggurat of Ur and the temple atop it were built around 2100 B.C.E., once an administrative capital of Mesopotamia, the great city of Ur, by Ur-Nammu of the Third Dynasty of Ur for the moon god Nanna, the city state’s divine patron. The priests would collect and use these gifts since they were the representatives of the gods on earth.The Ziggurat of Ur_©Samantha Ciaramitaro Historical Process | Ziggurat of Ur ![]() Each day, people would leave offerings to the gods of food, cloth, and wine on the steps of the ziggurat. Religious ceremonies were held on top of the Ziggurat. The largest ziggurat was probably the one built in ancientīabylon. From its top, you could see well into the farmlands that surrounded the city. The Ziggurat was the tallest building in the town. The north, ziggurats continued to be built and used in the same When the Babylonians took over in the south, and the Assyrians in Ziggurats had a wide base that narrowed to a flat top. In order for the gods to hear better, you needed to get closer to them. The ancient Sumerians, believed their gods lived in the sky. In the center of each town, was the Ziggurat.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |