Ancient Mesopotamian Temples Ziggurats.docx
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Ancient Mesopotamian Temples Ziggurats Temples in Mesopotamia were popularly known as ziggurat which was built on a raised area and the structures were also predominant in Iran as well. The structure was like a raised pyramid with several receding stories. The temples were built during the time of the Sumerians, Babylonians and the ssyrians in ancient Mesopotamia. Some of the earliest structures were constructed as early as ! B". The receding tiers rested on a triangular, s#uare or oval platform with the top resembling a pyramid. Mud bricks baked in the sun were used for the construction and the e$terior was usually glazed with different colors which were in tuned to astrological importance. importance. Tiers ranged from two to seven and a temple or a shrine was created at the crest. %amps were used for access to the temples in Mesopotamia. &ouse of gods' The ziggurats were regarded as the house of gods and only priests were permitted entry for their safekeeping. They took upon themselves the task of looking after the gods who were known to look after the people. (aturally, the priests wielded a lot of power in ancient Mesopotamia and they were e$tremely powerful members of society. )riests held sway and were at par as well as higher in class to the merchant and wealthy classes. *ne could also climb from the base to the top with the help of spiral stairs as well. ccording to available records, there were nearly !+ ziggurats in and around the region which were regarded as the temples of Mesopotamia. *ut of them, only are in present day Iran, while the rest are in Ira#. mong the best preserved temple is the one in the western part of Iran and the most recent discovery took place at Sialk in central Iran. The structure at Iran survived the long war the country fought with Ira# in the -/01s when many notable architectural sites were damaged. The comple$es of the gods in 2ruk dating back to B" and e$cavated sites at in Syria and Turkey tell us something about the condition of the period as well as the temples in Mesopotamia.
Mesopotamian Mesopotamian History Mesopotamia, the land between the rivers, derives its name and existence from the rivers Tigris and Euphrates. The Mesopotamian history has been very intriguing and has attracted a lot of people. About ten thousand years ago, the people of this area began the agricultural revolution. Instead of hunting and gathering their food, they domesticated plants and animals. Between !"" and """ B#, the civili$ation of %outhern Mesopotamia underwent a sudden growth and change, centered in the cities of &r and &ru'. The main part of the third millennium, now called the Early (ynastic period, saw the gradual development of %umerian civili$ation, based on numerous city states. The Early (ynastic period was brought to an end when %argon )*+**- B#/ created the world0s first empire, stretching the length and breadth bread th of the fertile crescent. The impact of %argon0s unification of %umer and A''ad resonated down through the history of Mesopotamia for the next two thousand years. The %argonic Empire lasted for almost a hundred and fifty years, before it fell to insurrections and invasions. There followed a characteristically Mesopotamian turbulent period, part of which involved the hordes of 1uti, who ruled in the south for a century or so. Eventually, they were thrown out in an uprising which inaugurated the Third (ynasty of &r )&r III, or 2eo%umerian period/. (uring the reign of the &r III 'ings beginning with &r2ammu and %hulgi, %umerian culture and civili$ation experienced a remar'able renaissance. The &r III Empire lasted for over a century )*33**""+ B#/ before falling to the violent incursions of nomadic Amorites. The next couple of hundred years was another turbulent time during which the cities of Isin and 4arsa vied for supremacy in the south, while Mari and Assur grew to prominence in the north. Assur was the principal city of the Assyrians. Also in the south was the city of Babylon. At the beginning of the eighteenth century, the ruler of Babylon was 5ammurabi )3-*3-!" B#/. 6e now call this period 7ld 7 ld Babylonian, in about 38"" B#, Mesopotamia was faced with troublesome northern neighbors. The 5ittites, under Mursilis, captured and plundered Babylon, but they did not stay and hold the territory. Into the vacuum thus created came the 9assites from the :agros Mountains to the northeast. The 9assite rule of Babylon lasted for four hundred years, some of which were ;uite peaceful. The last centuries of the second millennium were yet another turbulent time. Throughout the 2ear East and southern and eastern Europe mass movements of peoples coincided with
the destruction of all maig.3**/. In human form as the goddess of sexual love, InanaItar is often depicted fully nude. In %yrian iconography, she often reveals herself by holding open a cape. The nude female is an extremely common theme in ancient 2ear Eastern art, however, and although variously ascribed to the sphere of InanaItar )as acolytes or cult statuettes/, they probably do not all represent the goddess herself. A sound indication of divine status is the presence of the horned cap. In her warrior aspect, InanaItar is shown dressed in a flounced robe with weapons coming out of her shoulder, often with at least one other weapon in her hand and sometimes with a beard, to emphasi$e her masculine side. 5er attribute animal as the goddess of war is the lion, on the bac' of which she often has one foot or fully stands. In praise of her warli'e ;ualities, she is compared to a roaring, fearsome lion )see Inana and Ebih, ET#%4 3..*/. In her astral aspect, InanaItar is symboli$ed by the eight pointed star. The colours red and carnelian, and the cooler blue and lapis la$uli, were also used to symbolise the goddess, perhaps to highlight her female and male aspects respectively )Barret *""-? *-/. Name and Spellings
InanaInanna is the %umerian name of this goddess. It is most often etymologically interpreted as nin.an.a)'/, literally H4ady of the heavensH )%el$ *"""? */. A different interpretation )Gacobsen 3-8? 8/ translates her name as H4ady of the date clusters.H The %emitic name Itar originally belonged to an independent goddess that was later merged and identified with the %umerian Inana )Abusch *"""? */. The
meaning of her name is also unclear )for more information see 6estenhol$ *"""? +!/.
The -umer History ;; Ancient Mesopotamia The -umerians are thought to have formed the first human civiliilgamesh, one of the (orlds oldest surviving (or's of literature% .n addition to the 'ing or governor, there (as a fairly comple) government (ith officials (ho helped to organiulf to the south% The longest reigning Aersian King (as rta)er)es .. (ho ruled 8" years from 8#8*"0 B$% His reign (as a time of peace and prosperity for the empire% The Aersian culture held the truth in high esteem% Telling a lie (as one of the most disgraceful things a person could do% The capital of the empire (as the great city of Aersepolis% This name is >ree' for Aersian $ity% fter $yrus the >reat con6uered Babylon, he allo(ed the De(ish people to return to .srael and to rebuild their temple at Derusalem%
le)ander the >reat
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Occupation: /ilitary $ommander and King of ncient >reece
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Born: Duly #, "? B$ Aella, /acedon
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Died: Dune 1#, B$ Babylon
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Best known for: $on6uering much of sia and Europe
Biography:
le)ander the >reat (as the 'ing of /acedonia or ncient >reece% He is considered one of the greatest military commanders in history% %hen did Ale-ander the +reat li#e1
le)ander the >reat (as born on Duly #, "? B$% He died at the young age of in B$ having accomplished much in his short life% He reigned as 'ing from ?* B$% 'hildhood of Ale-ander the +reat
le)anders father (as King Ahilip the ..% Ahilip .. had built up a strong and united empire in ncient >reece, (hich le)ander inherited% 3i'e most children in thens, le)ander (as tutored as a child and learned mathematics, reading, (riting, and ho( to play the lyre% He also (ould have been instructed on ho( to fight, ride a horse, and hunt% 2hen le)ander turned thirteen, his father Ahilip .. (anted the best teacher possible for him% He hired the great philosopher ristotle% .n return for tutoring his son, Ahilip agreed to restore ristotles home to(n of -tageira, including setting many of its citireece under his control, le)ander turned east to con6uer more of the civiliree' empire% Here is the order of his con6uests
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4irst he moved through sia /inor and (hat is today Tur'ey%
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He too' over -yria defeating the Aersian rmy at .ssus and then laying siege to Tyre%
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=e)t, he con6uered Egypt and established le)andria as the capital%
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fter Egypt came Babylonia and Aersia, including the city of -usa% Then he moved through Aersia and began to prepare for a campaign in .ndia%
t this point le)ander had accumulated one of the largest empires in history% Ho(ever, his soldiers (ere ready to revolt% They (anted to return home to see their (ives and children% le)ander agreed and his army turned bac'%
Death of Ale-ander le)ander only made it bac' to Babylon (here he became suddenly sic' and died% =o one is sure (hat he died from, but many suspect poison% :pon his death the great empire he had built (as divided up amongst his generals, called the &iadochi% The &iadochi ended up fighting each other for many years as the empire fell apart% &un &acts a$out Ale-ander the +reat •
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He (as supposedly related to the >ree' heroes Hercules from his fathers side and chilles from his mothers side% 2hen le)ander (as 1?, his father left the country to do battle, leaving le)ander as regent, or temporary ruler of /acedonia% He tamed a (ild horse named Bucephalus (hen he (as a 'id% .t (as his main horse until it died of old age% le)ander named a city in .ndia after his horse% He never lost a single battle% 3egend has it that the Temple of rtemis burnt do(n the day of le)anders birth because rtemis (as busy attending the birth% His best friend and second in command (as the general Hephaestion%
%ocial =yramid The population of ancient Egypt was divided into groups of people with different
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