11/21/2023 0 Comments White temple and its zigguratWhereas the ziggurat’s function was more utilitarian in its regular use for religious practices, the pyramid served as a center for a specific ruler’s religious funeral practices and tomb. Here, the pyramid is more self-serving, demonstrating the state of a ruler’s civilization in regards to labor force, intellectualism, splendour, and extravagance. The construction of such a large scale square pyramid (Khufu’s pyramid is 13 acres at the base) required intense mathematical planning and human labor, with individual bricks weighing 2.5 tons. Maintaining the larger base and smaller top like a ziggurat, the pyramid offers a more scientific/advanced take on architecture and idealism of form. The Great Pyramids can be seen as a more refined version of the ziggurat. Like the ziggurats, the size and technical aspects of the Great Pyramids suggest a level of importance on the ruler that commissioned it. These structures served visually to suggest the grandiosity of both the deity to whom the ziggurat was dedicated to and also indirectly to the ruler who commissioned their construction. Ziggurats varied by size, from 40′ tall to 100′ tall and some bases as large as 210′ by 150′ (as is the case with the Great Ziggurat of Ur). These were located within a city-state’s limits and were utilized by a special class of priests/figures. Ziggurats, a product of the Sumerian civilization, are stepped structures of large size that lead to a platform on top where spiritual/religious rituals took place. The ziggurats of the ancient Near East and the Egyptian pyramids at Giza may have some differences in form and function, however they’re closely related to one another. However, the ruins signifies the amount of worship and devotion that the Sumerians would offer for the gods. Without no context, if an average individual were to pass by the White Temple and the Ziggurat, it would simply look like a random hill. ![]() Observers would not be able to visualize the building without a design in front of them. From what was originally purposed to be a symbol of power and wealth became a ruin. Today, the ruins of the White Temple and the Ziggurat are left with no observations, at first, that it was once a massive architecture. ![]() “Remains of the Anu Ziggurat, Uruk (modern Warka), c. It represented the ruler’s power to use his wealth for the gods to protect the city and how the gods overrule the city-states from a hierarchal structure. Hence, the Ziggurat is a form of propaganda because it showed the ruler’s wealth, power, and authority. This was meant for the visitors to admire the bright façade and power of the architecture. Even though the temple had three entrances, visitors had to walk around the temple. The White temple received its name for its washed out color that would appear brighter from the strength of the sunlight. 3517-3358 B.C.E.© scientific material: German Archaeological Institute” “Digital reconstruction of the White Temple and ziggurat, Uruk (modern Warka), c. However, because there were no resources of stone around the area, the mud-brick slowly collapsed. Therefore, laborers (most likely slaves) constructed the ziggurat out of mud-bricks with a one-steep stairway that led to the entryway to the temple. The White Temple and Ziggurat was structured to be at its highest elevation to be closer to the sky god Anu, with the temple towering over the city by approximately 40 feet. Located in Uruk, Mesopotamia (modern-day Warka in Iraq), the ruins of the White Temple and Ziggurat was placed in the main center of the city to pay homage to a God. Due to the fact that it was a monumental size and showed off the power and authority of the ruler, only the elite were allowed in to worship and perform their rituals. Dating back from around 5000 BCE-2000 BCE, the Ancient Sumerians were under a theocratic political system: a god being the true ruler and the king on earth having to operate on the god’s behalf. ![]() ![]() What better way to be glorified than be presented with a temple made just for you. “Archaeological site at Uruk (modern Warka) in Iraq (photo: SAC Andy Holmes (RAF)/MOD Open Government License v1.0)
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