Ziggurat Influence

At the top of these temples is where the most important ceremonies and sacrifices took place. In Fiero’s text they were described as being like the Mesopotamian ziggurat. “The Maya temple was a terraced pyramid with a staircase ascending to a platform capped by a multiroomed superstructure. A shrine and sanctuary, it also served as a burial place for priests or rulers.” ( Fiero 461) Many of their temples were built with astronomy in mind, and certain ones were aligned to the movements of Venus, the sun and the moon.

Pyramids originated from the Egyptians. They expressed a worldwide view of the Egyptians. First of all, they were symbols of the pharaoh's authority and divine status. It reflects hierarchical status. In the Egyptian society there were slaves, the commoners, the pharaohs. If you were to put them in order the top of the pyramid would the pharaohs below them the commoners, then slaves and so forth. The most important one would be on the top which is the pharaohs. Also it was a testimony of the pharaoh's ability to marshal Egypt's resources. They were also used for tombs. Their worldview was very religious too, because the pyramids were a symbol of a gateway of the next life. This is seen as inside the pyramids the Egyptians buried

Djoser’s pyramid was initially thought to be the last resting spot of pharaoh Djoser, yet later archeological researches have revealed that it worked with extremely contract shafts stretching out from within to the external surface for the purpose of lifting the pharaoh's soul into the sky. The White temple and Ziggurats then again were said to have been built to house the divine beings. Therefore, they are the real homes of the divine beings themselves particularly in the perspective of the Sumerians and Babylonians. In such manner, that was why only the priests were allowed to go inside the

Ever since ancient times, humans have used their uniquely creative minds to organize and construct awe-inspiring architecture. Our planet, once an empty canvas for human innovation, is now coated with manmade constructions. But before towering skyscrapers, grand hotels, and modern chapels came into existence, the world was bejeweled with ancient forms of engineering. Two of the more popular constructions from the ancient world include Stonehenge and the Egyptian pyramids at Giza. These incredible megaliths are seemingly very different, but share various similarities, and both help archaeologists gain insight to the religious beliefs and socio-political organization of the people who constructed them.

The history started in 2650 B.C.E at the death of King Djoser. His architect, Imhotep, built a design of pyramid called the Step Pyramid. This was supposed to represent a large stairway to which he would climb up to the sun-god in the sky. This sparked the interest in pyramids, which soon gave ideas to other architects.

This is proof of the Sumerian architectural abilities. The architecture in Mesopotamia are considered to have been contemporary with the founding of the Sumerian cities, but there was some complexity in the architectural design during this Protoliterate period (c. 3400-c. 2900 BC). This is shown in the design of many religious buildings. Typical temples of the Protoliterate period--both the platform type and the type built at ground level--are, however, much more elaborate both in planning and ornament. The interior was decorated with cones sunk into the wall, covered in bronze. Most cities were simple in structure, but the ziggurat was one of the world's first complex architectural structures.

According to Document 4 it shows a painting where the figures are wearing clothing made from one of the world’s most important agricultural products. The clothing that they are wearing is made out of flax in other words cotton. This is a very important invention, and the people from Ancient Egypt made the crop Flax in a surplus because in clothing made of this, you deflect heat. Because it tends to be very hot in Ancient Egypt this invention of clothing benefitted them a lot. This invention also led to cultural diffusion because with a surplus of this invention you can trade with other countries and spread your traditions and culture. According to Document 5 it shows a drawing of a ziggurat located in Iran and was built around 1250 B.C. The Ziggurat is a very majestic and beautiful piece of architecture made for the Sumerians to worship their gods. An invention that the Sumerians might have invented that we can tell from the drawing is the arch and ramp. The invention of the ramp is very important because that way heavy things can be moved from the bottom to the top easier. The arch is also important because it can support huge amounts of weight in buildings and other architecture. Document 4 and Document 5 are similar because both of them show incredible inventions that have changed the world for the better. Document 4 did this by showing the creation of clothes that can be worn in heat. Document 5 did this by showing incredible invention of the ramp and arch which makes building easier and more

     Paralleling the pyramids in Egypt were the ziggurats of Mesopotamia. Mesopotamia (meaning between two rivers, the Tigress and Euphrates) began making these structures around roughly 2000 BC. They were made of bricks that they produced on the building’s work site. There were sun-dried bricks to make up the solid inside of the ziggurat, and there were kiln fired bricks that made up the structures façade. These bricks were much smaller than the stones used in Egypt and also did not have to be brought from far away. Some of the ziggurats were built on top of older ones. Like Egyptian pyramids, the ziggurat was believed to be a kind of gateway between heaven and earth, but unlike the pyramids, the ziggurats where not tombs for kings. Rather they were believed to be the earthly homes of gods. Egyptians built their massive structures outside of major populated areas. But the ziggurats were in prominent areas. Cities had their own patron god or goddess (some places even had two ziggurats, one for a god of both sexes) and priests were the only ones allowed into these temples. They had the honor of catering to the needs of the gods and were powerful figures in their respective communities. Mesopotamians also built the Tower of Babel, which was supposed to have been built as bridge from earth to heaven. It was most likely located in Neo-Babylonia (home of the Hanging Gardens) and was also one of

     According to Egyptian and Sumerian mythology, there was a battle between two families of gods for supremacy and control over the ancient lands and the pyramids of Giza were strategic strongholds for the gods. (vi) The different shafts and chambers of the great pyramids are said to point to various constellations that represent several Egyptian gods. (vii) It is also thought by some that the pyramid may have been a place where Egyptians made a pilgrimage to honor the gods or their pharaoh who, according to legend was a descendent of the gods. (viii)

The polytheistic religion of the Sumerian contrasted with the monotheistic religion of the Hebrews. The people of Sumeria worshipped thousands of gods, and each city-state adopted a god as their protector (Hunt, Martin, Rosenwein & Smith, 2013, p.10). Moreover, the Sumerian built ziggurats, a temple tower, to please their gods (Hunt,

The Sumerians practiced polytheism, but each city had one benefactor god that they built a temple, generally a ziggurat, for in the middle of the city. The Egyptians may have imitated the architectural patterns of the ziggurats of Sumer when they built the pyramids.

The structure was a funerary temple for a ruler during the classical period. The tomb of the ruler has been located in side of the structure. This type of temple raised nine stepped levels. This is supposed to symbolize the nine levels of the underworld. The pyramid was a shrine of the ruler and a cared wooden lintel.

As it is mentioned before, lack of evidence enters us into the realm of speculation in which all of the above theories can be partially true. Here, I do not want to support or refute any of these hypotheses but rather, I want to remind one important point; there is no necessity to find the origin of something in a glorious ancient past. For instance, when you speak with Zoroastrian villagers they confess that many of their smaller local or garden-type shrines have developed from simple one room buildings, which were used by farmers as temporary

Probably new technology is what influence Ms. Hadid works, her firm fully embraced the organic and digital technology to create live and digital models to help her with curves and abstract forms to create her buildings.

The pyramids were built as a tomb for the pharaoh. Their belief was that the top point of the pyramid was the gate for the soul to travel to the afterlife and return to earth if chosen. These tombs were built which line up with certain stars and planets.