Introduction
The art and architecture of Early Middle Eastern and Northeast African civilizations deserve particular attention. At the time of their rise, people explored the limits of their possibilities, creating items and structures that have survived to the present day. At the same time, they provide an in-depth insight into these civilizations’ lifestyles, beliefs, and governmental and social structures.
In general, I have always been interested in ancient architecture, which may be observed today, as it is breathtaking to imagine that it was constructed thousands of years ago and witnessed multiple changes in human history. I have chosen the Great Ziggurat of Ur, one of the oldest constructions of humanity’s first civilizations.
General Background
The Great Ziggurat of Ur is an architectural structure of the Sumerian civilization. In a broader sense, as all ziggurats, the temple complexes that united surrounding territories into city-states, the Great Ziggurat is an Ancient Near Eastern architectural invention. In other words, multiple ziggurats were constructed by Babylonians, Sumerians, Elamites, Akkadians, and Eblaites in Persia, Syria, Assyria, and Mesopotamia for religious purposes. Located in the territory of ancient Mesopotamia and modern southern Iraq, the Great Ziggurat of Ur may be regarded as one of the best-preserved and largest ziggurats that may be observed in the present day.
As previously mentioned, ziggurats were religious sites, and the Great Ziggurat of Ur was no exception. It was constructed at the behest of the king Ur-Nammu from the Third Dynasty of Ur in 2100 B.C.E. for Nanna, the goddess of the moon and the city’s divine patron. During the king’s reign, Ur became an influential city that controlled a considerable part of Mesopotamia. Thus, Ur-Nammu aimed to emphasize the significance of the goddess’s help. Being polytheistic, Sumerians worshipped many gods and goddesses, believing that building temples for them would guarantee their civilization’s prosperity.
Construction and Restoration
The majority of ziggurats were constructed with the use of the same technology that presupposed stacking baked and unbaked mud-bricks up with mud that sealed them together. Constructed with approximately 720,000 baked bricks, the Great Ziggurat is a massive 64-on-46-meter rectangular pyramidal structure that has three terraces. The first level was connected to the ground by three monumental staircases. In contrast, only one staircase connected the second and third levels with the first terrace. Like other ziggurats, the Great Ziggurat of Ur had a temple, the Nanna temple, at its top; however, it was destroyed and could not be reconstructed.
At the same time, the Great Ziggurat was reconstructed several times. The first restoration of two upper layers was made by Nabodinus, the last Babylonian king, in the 6th century B.C.E… In modern history, the Ziggurat was discovered by Sir Leonard Woolley, who participated in the project of the British Museum and the University of Pennsylvania Museum in the 1920s. The last reconstruction was held by Saddam Hussein, the president of Iraq, in the 1980s. Due to it, three monumental staircases and the lower foundation’s façade were restored.
In general, the Great Ziggurat demonstrates the achievements of the Sumerian civilization in construction. In particular, as the territory was characterized by winter rains that could destroy the temple’s unbaked interior layer, its exterior layer contained holes for water to evaporate. In addition, being the city’s highest and most massive structure, the Great Ziggurat attracted people for spiritual and physical nourishment. In particular, the Ziggurat was the center of trade, food, and land distribution by priests, who were highly influential in ancient society, and they were believed to express the gods’ will. Thus, citizens visited the Great Ziggurat to receive food allotments or bring agricultural surplus, supporting each other.
Reflection of the Civilization
The Great Ziggurat of Ur may tell much about the Sumerian civilization that created it. First, it demonstrates religion’s great significance in people’s lives. In polytheistic religions, natural forces were viewed as controlled by gods and goddesses. Thus, all-natural calamities were regarded as gods’ dissatisfaction with people’s behaviors, words, and actions.
Therefore, ziggurats and other temple complexes were constructed by all Early Middle Eastern and Northeast African civilizations to please divine forces. At the same time, as places where people could communicate with gods and goddesses, ziggurats reflected some aspects of ancient people’s social hierarchy. In particular, they demonstrated the undiscussable authority of priests and priestesses.
Conclusion
The Great Ziggurat of Ur is the architectural site created by the Sumerian civilization on the territory of ancient Mesopotamia and modern Iraq. It was constructed in 2100 B.C.E. by the king Ur-Nammu for Nanna, the goddess of the moon. Like most ziggurats, the Great Ziggurat was made from mud bricks; it has a three-layer structure and massive staircases connecting all three terraces. While the main temple of the Ziggurat was destroyed, the structure was nevertheless restored several times. In general, the Great Ziggurat of Ur reflects the significance of religion for Sumerians and the authority of priests in their society.
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