Ziggurat is a massive architectural structure consisting of several tiers. Its base is usually square or rectangular. This feature makes the ziggurat look like a stepped pyramid. The lower levels of the building are terraces. The roof of the upper tier is flat.
The builders of the ancient ziggurats were the Sumerians, Babylonians, Akkadians, Assyrians, and also the inhabitants of Elam. The ruins of their cities have been preserved on the territory of modern Iraq and in the western part of Iran. Each ziggurat was part of the temple complex, which included other buildings.
Historical review
Structures in the form of large towering platforms began to be erected in Mesopotamia in the fourth millennium BC. Nothing is reliably known about their purpose. According to one version, such artificial elevations were used in order to preserve the most valuable property, including sacred relics, during the flood of rivers.
Over time, architectural technology has improved. If the stepped structures of the early Sumerians were two-tiered, then the ziggurat in Babylon had as many as seven levels. The interior of such structures was made from building blocks dried in the sun. For external cladding, burnt brick was used.
The last ziggurats of Mesopotamia were built in the sixth century BC. These were the most impressive architectural structures of their time. They impressed contemporaries not only in size, but also in the richness of their exterior design. It is no accident that the ziggurat of Etemenanka built during this period became the prototype of the Tower of Babel mentioned in the Bible.
The purpose of ziggurats
In many cultures, mountaintops were considered the tops of the mountains. It is well known that, for example, the gods of ancient Greece lived on Olympus. The Sumerians probably had a similar outlook. Thus, ziggurat is a man-made mountain that was created so that the gods had a place to live. Indeed, in the desert of Mesopotamia there were no natural elevations of such height.
At the top of the ziggurat was a sanctuary. Public religious ceremonies were not held there. For this, temples existed at the foot of the ziggurat. Only priests could rise up, whose duty it was to take care of the gods. Priests were the most respected and influential class of Sumerian society.
Ziggurat in Ur
Not far from the modern Iraqi city of Nasiria are the remains of the most well-preserved structures of ancient Mesopotamia. This is a ziggurat, built in the 21st century BC by the ruler of Ur-Nammu. The grand building had a base of 64 by 45 meters, towered more than 30 meters and consisted of three levels. At the top was the sanctuary of the moon god Nunn, who was considered the patron saint of the city.
By the sixth century BC, the building was dilapidated and partially destroyed. But the last ruler of the Second Babylonian Kingdom, Nabonidus ordered the restoration of the ziggurat in Ur. Its appearance has undergone significant changes - instead of the original three, seven tiers were built.
The remains of the ziggurat were first described by European scientists in the early 19th century. Large-scale archaeological excavations were carried out by specialists of the British Museum from 1922 to 1934. During the reign of Saddam Hussein, the facade and the staircase leading to the top were reconstructed.
The most famous ziggurat
One of the grandest architectural structures in the history of mankind is the Tower of Babel. The dimensions of the building were so impressive that a legend was born, according to which the Babylonians wanted to reach the sky with its help.
Nowadays, most scholars agree that the Tower of Babel is not fiction, but the actual ziggurat of Etemenanka. Its height was 91 meters. Such a building would have looked impressive even by today's standards. After all, it was three times higher than the usual nine-story panel buildings.
When exactly the ziggurat was erected in Babylon is unknown. Mention of it is contained in cuneiform sources dating from the second millennium BC. In 689 BC, the Assyrian ruler Sinaheherib destroyed Babylon and the ziggurat that was there. After 88 years, the city was restored. Etemenanka was also rebuilt by Nebuchadnezzar II - the ruler of the New Babylonian kingdom.
Finally, the ziggurat was destroyed in 331 BC by order of Alexander the Great. Demolition of the building was to be the first stage of its large-scale reconstruction, but the death of the commander prevented the implementation of these plans.
Exterior of the Tower of Babel
Ancient books and modern excavations made it possible to accurately reconstruct the appearance of the legendary ziggurat. It was a square base structure. The length of each of its sides, as well as the height, was 91.5 meters. The Etemenanks consisted of seven tiers, each of which was painted in its own color.
To climb to the top of the ziggurat, you had to first climb one of the three central stairs. But this is only half the way. According to the ancient Greek historian Herodotus, having ascended a large staircase, you could relax before further climbing. For this, special places were equipped, protected by awnings from the scorching sun. Steps for further climbing encircled the walls of the upper levels of the ziggurat. At the top was a spacious temple dedicated to Marduk, the patron god of Babylon.
Etemenanki was famous not only for its incredible size for its time, but also for its wealth of exterior decoration. By order of Nebuchadnezzar II, gold, silver, copper, stones of various colors, enameled brick, as well as fir and pine were used as finishing materials for the walls of the Tower of Babel.
The first tier of the ziggurat was black below, the second was snow-white, the third was painted purple, the fourth was blue, the fifth was red, the sixth was silver and the seventh was gold.
Religious significance
The Babylonian ziggurat was dedicated to Marduk, who was considered the patron saint of the city. This is the local name of the Mesopotamian god Bel. Among the Semitic tribes, he was known as Baal. The sanctuary was located in the upper tier of the ziggurat. There lived a priestess who was considered the wife of Marduk. Every year, a new girl was chosen for this role. It must have been a beautiful young virgin from a noble family.
On the day of the selection of the bride Marduk, a grandiose celebration was held in Babylon, an important element of which were mass orgies. By tradition, every woman had to at least once in her life indulge in love with a stranger who would pay her money. Moreover, the first proposal could not be refused, no matter how small the amount. After all, the girl went to the celebration not for earning, but only in order to fulfill the will of the gods.
Similar customs were found among many Middle Eastern peoples and were associated with the cult of fertility. However, the Romans who wrote about Babylon saw something obscene in such rituals. Thus, the historian Quintus Curtius Rufus condemns the feasts during which ladies from noble families danced, gradually taking off their clothes. A similar view is rooted in the Christian tradition, not without reason in Revelation there is such a phrase as "Babylon the Great, mother to harlots and abominations of the earth."
Symbols of ziggurat architecture
Any tall building is associated with a person’s desire to become closer to the sky. A stepped structure resembles a staircase leading upstairs. Thus, the ziggurat primarily symbolizes the link between the heavenly world of deities and the people living on earth. But, in addition to the meaning common to all high-rise buildings, the architectural form invented by ancient Sumerians has other unique features.
In modern pictures depicting ziggurats, we see them from the top or side view. But the inhabitants of Mesopotamia looked at them, being at the foot of these magnificent buildings. From this point of view, the ziggurat is a few walls growing one after another, the uppermost of which is so high that it seems to touch the sky.
What impression does such a sight make on the observer? In ancient times, a wall surrounded the city to protect it from enemy troops. She was associated with power and impregnability. Thus, a series of huge walls rising one after another created the effect of absolute inaccessibility. No other architectural form could convincingly demonstrate the unlimited power and authority of a deity dwelling on top of a ziggurat.
In addition to the impregnable walls, there were giant sizes of stairs. Usually ziggurats had three - one central and two lateral. They demonstrated the possibility of dialogue between man and the gods. Priests climbed them to the top to speak with higher powers. Thus, the symbolism of ziggurat architecture emphasized the power of the gods and the importance of the caste of priests, called to speak with them on behalf of the whole nation.
Ziggurat decoration
Not only the grandiose dimensions of the structure were designed to surprise the inhabitants of Mesopotamia, but also their external decoration and layout. The most expensive materials, including gold and silver, were used to clad the ziggurats. The walls were decorated with images of plants, animals and mythological creatures. At the top stood a golden statue of a deity in whose honor a ziggurat was erected.
The path from the foot to the top was not straight. It was a kind of three-dimensional maze with rises, long transitions and numerous turns. The central staircase led only to the first or second tier. Then we had to move along a zigzag trajectory - go around the corners of the building, climb the side steps, and then, on a new tier, go to the next passage, which was located on the other side.
The purpose of such a plan was to make the ascent longer. The priest during the ascent was to get rid of worldly thoughts and focus on the divine. Interestingly, the maze temples also existed in ancient Egypt and medieval Europe.
The ziggurats of Mesopotamia were surrounded by gardens. The shade of trees, the scent of flowers, the splashing of fountains created a sense of paradise serenity, which, according to the architects, was to testify to the favor of the deities that lived on top. Also, do not forget that the ziggurat was located in the city center. Residents came there to indulge in friendly conversations and joint entertainment.
Ziggurats in other parts of the world
Not only the rulers of Mesopotamia erected magnificent buildings, trying to use them to leave their name for centuries. In other parts of the world there are also structures whose shape resembles a ziggurat.
The most famous and well-preserved structures of this kind are located on the American continent. Most of them look like a stepped pyramid. Ziggurat, as an architectural form, was known to the Aztecs, Mayans and other civilizations of pre-Columbian America.
Most step pyramids collected in one place can be found on the site of the ancient city of Teotihuacan, which is located about fifty kilometers from the capital of Mexico. The architectural form of the ziggurat is clearly recognized in the guise of the famous Temple of Cuculcan, also known as El Castillo. This building is one of the symbols of Mexico.
On the territory of Europe there are also ancient ziggurats. One of them, called Kancho Roano, is located in Spain and is a monument to the Tartessian civilization that once existed on the Iberian Peninsula. It is assumed that it was built in the sixth century BC.
Another unusual construction for Europe is the Sardinian ziggurat. This is a very ancient megalithic structure, erected in the fourth millennium BC. Sardinian ziggurat was a cult place, for many centuries religious rites were held there. The base of his platform was almost 42 meters long.
