MESOPOTAMIANARCHITECTURE

INTRODUCTION

Alluvial plain lying between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers composing parts of Iraq, Turkey and Syria

Home to some of the oldest major ancient civilizations, including the Sumerians, Akkadians, Persians, Babylonians and Assyrians.

The Sumerians are generally regarded as the first group of people in Mesopotamia.

The fertile crescent was inhabited with several distinct, flourishing cultures between the end of the last ice age (c. 10,000 BCE) and around 5000 BCE.

In the mid-4th throughout the 3rd millenniums BCE, various city-states gained increased power at various times.

Eridu, Uruk, Ur, Lagash, and Girsu were important urban centres.

Development of URBAN CENTRES

built in receding tiers upon a rectangular, oval,

or square platform

sun-baked bricks made up the core of the

ziggurat with facings of fired bricks on the

outside.

Ziggurats were a form of temple, pyramidal structure common to the Sumerians, Babylonians and Assyrians of ancient Mesopotamia.

the ZIGGURAT

not place of public worship or ceremonies but instead were believed to be dwelling places for the gods.

Through the ziggurat the gods could be close to mankind and each city had its own patron god or goddess.

the ZIGGURAT

Only priests were permitted inside the ziggurat and it was their responsibility to care for the gods

and attend to their needs. As a result the priests were very powerful members of Sumerian society.

believed to be symbolic representation of the primeval mound

upon which the universe had supposedly been created

– may have been built as a bridge between heaven and Earth.

bridge between HEAVEN and EARTH

believed to be a cosmic axis, a vertical bond between heaven and Earth,

and the Earth and the underworld, and a horizontal bond between the lands.

Built on seven levels the ziggurat represented

seven heavens and planes of existence, the seven planets and the seven metals associated with them and their corresponding colors.

SEVEN LEVELS

the GREAT ZIGGURAT of UR

built as a place of worship, dedicated to the moon god Nanna

in Sumerian times it was called Etemennigur.

today, after more than 4000 years, the ziggurat is still well preserved in large parts as the only major remainder of Ur in present-day southern Iraq.

Choqa Zanbil, western Iraq - one of the best preserved ziggurats.

Examples of ZIGGURAT

White Temple of Uruk (3500 – 3000 BC)The ziggurat itself is the base on which the White Temple is set. Its purpose is to get the temple closer to the heavens, and provide access from the ground to it via steps.

Gods of the Sumerians

It is believed to be the oldest continuously

inhabited settlement in the world.

JERICHO

NIPPUR

For thousands of years, the religious centre of Mesopotamia, where

Enlil, the supreme god of the Sumerian, created mankind.

Focus of pilgrimage and

building program

An important role in the development of the world's earliest civilization. The

city had many temples, government buildings, and

important family businesses. Anu - god of the skyEnlil – god of the earthEa – god of waterNannar – god of the moonUtu – god of sunInanna – goddess of fertility

It is perhaps the largest and mostsophisticated Neolithic site yet

uncovered.

CATALHOYUK, Turkey

In good weather, many daily activities may also have taken place on the rooftops, which

conceivably formed an open air plaza.

No footpaths or streets were used between the dwellings, which were clustered in a honeycomb-like maze.

Over time, houses were renewed by partial demolition and rebuilding on a foundation of rubble— which was how the mound became built up. Up to eighteen levels of settlement have been uncovered.

CATALHOYUK, Turkey

Most were accessed by holes in the ceiling,

which were reached by interior and exterior ladders.

The ceiling openings served as the only source of ventilation,

letting in fresh air and allowing smoke from open hearths to escape.

CATALHOYUK, Turkey

CATALHOYUK, Turkey

The dead were buried below the floors and below the sleeping area.

Vivid murals and figurines are found throughout the settlement, on interior and exterior walls.

.

Raised platforms built along the walls of main rooms were used for sitting, working and sleeping.

These platforms, and all interior walls,

were carefully plastered to a smooth finish

CATALHOYUK, Turkey

Each main room served as an area for cooking and daily activities

Ancillary rooms were used as storage, and were accessed through low entry openings from main rooms.

CATALHOYUK, Turkey

Learning from the PAST

The University of Tennessee Hodges Library in

Knoxville, Tennessee.

The British Secret Intelligence Service

Building, Vauxhall