Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia had amazing structures that demonstrated their civilization’s remarkable capabilities. To show their devotion, kings built ziggurats in ancient Mesopotamia. A ziggurat refers to a large rectangular stepped-tower, which can sometimes be surrounded by an temple. These ziggurats were built in Mesopotamia during the 2000 BCE (Head). The Ziggurat Of Ur, which was built in the Sumerian city state of Ur, is one of the most well-known ziggurats. King Ur-Nammu built the Ziggurat and temple of Ur around 2100 BCE. He was the king in the Third Dynasty, which ruled for 18 years. Shulgi Ur-Nammu, his son, built the ziggurat. The ziggurat was his most significant accomplishment, and he completed it when Ur-Nammu died (Head). The pyramid was another important structure. The pyramids were built in Ancient Egypt to be a tomb for a pharaoh. A pyramid is a large structure consisting of a square base or triangular top and sloping sides. The Old Kingdom of Egypt was the time when most pyramids were built. The Great Pyramid of Giza was one of these pyramids, and it was built in Giza Necropolis. Necropolis refers to an area that is large and similar to a cemetery. It has elaborate tomb monuments. The Great Pyramid of Giza was built by Pharaoh Kufu around 2550 BCE. It was completed in 2560 BCE. Khufu, who was followed by Sneferu as the fourth pharaoh, ruled for approximately twenty-three year. Hemiunu served as vizier under Khufu’s reign. Hemiunu was the vizier and was the head of all royal works. He was the architect of the Great Pyramid. Therefore, he planned, designed and built this pyramid. Both the pyramids in Egypt and Mesopotamia’s ziggurats are testament to the wealth, power and intelligence of ancient societies. However, these structures were built and used for different purposes.
Mesopotamians, Egyptians and other ancient societies had very distinct societies. This was clearly shown in their architecture. Mesopotamians believed in polytheism. They worshiped many major gods, as well as thousands of minor gods. Each Mesopotamian town had its own patron goddess or god (Woolley). The highest class consisted of the king, nobility and priests, then the priests or priestesses. Next was the upper and lower classes, followed by the slaves. Sumer’s government was governed by kings who ruled only one city and not the whole civilization. The government consisted of a king, nobles and law-making officials who declared war, made laws and determined how to honor the gods. The people could elect wise men to replace the king. Each city-state had a king and an assembly. Ancient Egyptian religion was similar in structure to Mesopotamians. It was focused on gods who were connected to the elements and forces that made up nature. Two kingdoms were created in Ancient Egypt: Upper and Lower Egypt. Lower Egypt lies to the north, where the Nile Delta flows into the Mediterranean Sea. Upper Egypt is south of the Libyan wilderness down to Nubia. The pharaoh was the ruler of all this land. He was followed by officials, nobles and priests as well as soldiers, soldiers, merchants, farmers, and slaves. Their government was a monarchy of theocrats. The gods gave the pharaoh the mandate to rule and was expected to be the representative of the gods through the laws and policies. They were the rulers of all land and made laws, collected taxes, and protected Egypt from foreigners. Although Egypt was different from Sumer, they shared certain aspects of each other’s societies through their architecture. It is still a marvellous piece of architecture, the Great Pyramid of Giza and the Pyramid of Khufu. It was built in Giza Necropolis’ fourth dynasty, 2560 BCE. The site is in modern Cairo. More than 5 million limestone blocks were used to build the Great Pyramid of Giza. They were made with agglomerated limestone concrete. It stood 481.4 feet high at its highest and was 755.55 ft wide. These pyramids were designed to be used as a tomb by the reigning pharaohs. In the afterlife, Egyptian pharaohs were to be considered gods. They constructed huge pyramid tombs for their own preparations for the next age. They were filled to the brim with everything each ruler needed to live in the next realm. The construction of the pyramid involved moving large stones from a quarry, and then dragging them and lifting them to their final place. To build a pyramid, it took thousands of people (20,000 to 30,000. Each pyramid was supported by a massive ramp that the Egyptians constructed. Workers used this ramp to lift stones and use levers to set them in place. They used sledges to transport the stone from the quarry by boat. The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Egyptian Expedition excavated a sledge. It was excavated by the Egyptian Expedition of the Metropolitan Museum of Art during Senwosret’s Middle Kingdom. This tool shows how the sledge was used in the construction of the pyramids. This sledge shows how sledges were used through the Middle Kingdom. Sledges were used to support the stone blocks. The runners of these sledges, which look similar to modern sleds, could run on wet mud scattered on wooden frames-made tracks. The lever beam, a wooden one, was also used. This allowed users to lift heavier weights by moving the lever’s longer arm. Ramps carried the stones from one layer to another using blocks. As the building grew in size, the ramps got higher. The pyramid builders needed to have precise plans, sophisticated infrastructure, adequate material yield, and sites for shipping the material. These tasks were only possible with a well-organized and experienced team. The leader was responsible for planning the pyramid and giving orders to workers. Carriers were the most common of the three types of workers, which included stone carriers, miners, and builders. The stone was transported from the quarry to the port by the carrier using sledges. Scribes were another popular occupation. They kept track of materials and the time it took to build the pyramids. They also wrote down the orders of pharaohs. The exact methods used to build the Great Pyramid of Giza is not yet known. However, scholars know that the pyramid was a feat of engineering and planning that required skilled workers and complex techniques to create.
While the Great Ziggurat of Ur’s design is simple, it took careful planning and meticulous construction. Ur-Nammu the king at that time built the temple and ziggurat. King Ur-Nammu would build ziggurats as a way to express their devotion and love for the community. The whole structure was made of sun dried bricks. A ziggurat might have between two and seven levels. The top was reached by priests via a series staircase. To seal the mud bricks, bitumen and wet mud were used to stack them. Bitumen can be either a natural or petroleum distillation product. Bitumen is similar to modern asphalt. The bricks would have been unable to last if they were only stacked with mud between them. They used copper axes and knives, chisels and early hammers to make their tools. They used tin to make saws. The goads were spiked sticks used to drive cattle. They also were used to stack bricks for the construction of ziggurats. The first ziggurats were a platform, which was often rectangular, square, or oval. It was designed to look similar to a Mastaba structure, but with a flattop. Mastaba is an Ancient Egyptian tomb with a rectangular shape and flat roof. Mastabas date back to 3000 BC. Ziggurats date back to 2000 BC. Mastabas were therefore the first type of tomb. The Ziggurat at Ur was 210 feet long, 150 feet wide, and more than 100 feet high when it was fully built. Mesopotamia’s Ziggurats were a testament to their abilities as builders, as well cultural values.
The pyramids of the Egyptian pharaohs were used as burial grounds. In contrast, the pyramids of the Mesopotamians were used to honor local gods. Egyptians believed that there was an afterlife. The Egyptians believed their soul, or Ka, could enjoy an eternal life after death. The Judgment of Osiris was a test that allowed them to either live in the underworld or be brutally eaten by monsters. The Book of the Dead is required in order to pass the test. It contained spells that allowed the user to enter Osiris’s west paradise. Due to its high price, the Book of the Dead was only available to royalty and wealthy nobles. This book was also buried in the tombs of queens and pharaohs. These were so that the ka might enjoy them after their death. Each pyramid was created for a particular queen or pharaoh. The Great Pyramid of Giza is a tomb built for Khufu. The pyramid’s middle contained the king and queen’s chambers. They could be reached by ascending passageways. The grand gallery is a large, but narrow, tunnel that leads to the chamber of the king. The pyramid was built to create a grand tomb for King, who was considered to be the mediator between gods and people. The monument would have been considered a tomb or a permanent home by the culture that created it. The Mesopotamia Ziggurats were created to honor the city’s main god. Each Mesopotamian city-state had its own God. Ziggurats were intended to connect communities to their God. They were a tower on a height with a temple at their top. The base of the temple’s foundation is actually the ZIGGARAT. This is to make the temple more near the heavens. It also allows for easy access to the ground from it by means of steps. Only priests were permitted to enter the temple because it was a sacred place. The Great Ziggurat was named after Nanna, the divine patron of the state. Nanna, the Mesopotamian god wisdom and moon, is also known as Nanna. People could enter the Ziggurat at Ur by climbing a long ladder from the ground. It was home to the temple as well as the economic, social, political and administrative center of the town. It was where people could trade, collect taxes and store supplies. The pyramid at Giza centered on the afterlife pleasures that king Khufu enjoyed, but the Ziggurat was also a center for society and provided religious benefits.
Both ancient Egyptians and Mesopotamians clearly demonstrated their cultures through architecture. The Mesopotamians believed in multiple gods and worshipped them all at once. While ancient Egyptian beliefs were based on elements of nature and complex rituals, the Mesopotamians had a more intricate system. Mesopotamia’s government had its kings. Each king ruled only one city-state and not an entire civilization (Head). Ancient Egypt’s government consisted of two people: a Pharaoh, who controlled the whole kingdom, and a Vizier, who was the royal advisor. Ur-Nammu, a local god’s architect, built the great Ziggurat in Ur in 2100 BCE. Hemiunu was an Egyptian architect who constructed the Great Pyramid of Giza to house Pharaoh Khufu. Sun-dried brick construction and mud sealing were the main methods of building the ziggurat. Copper axes were used, as well early hammers and sickles. This structure eventually became a pyramid-like structure. However, scientists have come up with a few theories. These theories are based both on existing pyramids and excavations made to previous pyramid remains. These theories suggest that large limestone blocks were lifted from a quarry using canals, and then moved to their final destination by being dragged along with sledges. Workers could also layer blocks precisely using wooden lever beams. As the pyramid grew, the ramps outside the pyramids grew taller. While the purpose of these amazing pieces of architecture was different, they all reflected the culture of the time and will continue to do so for future generations.
