fla_adventure
DSCN7800The Ziggurat at Ur
The Ziggurat at Ur, a massive stepped pyramid about 210 by 150 feet in size, is the most well-preserved monument from the remote age of the Sumerians. It consists of a series of successively smaller platforms which rose to a height of about 64 feet, and was constructed with a solid core of mud-brick covered by a thick skin of burnt-brick to protect it from the elements. Its corners are oriented to the compass points, and like the Parthenon, its walls slope slightly inwards, giving an impression of solidity.
The ziggurat was part of a temple complex that served as an administrative center for the city, and it was also thought to be the place on earth where the moon god Nanna, the patron deity of Ur, had chosen to dwell. Nanna was depicted as a wise and unfathomable old man with a flowing beard and four horns, and a single small shrine—the bedchamber of the god—was placed upon the ziggurat's summit. This was occupied each night by only one woman, chosen by the priests from among all the women of the city to be the god's companion. A kitchen, likely used to prepare food for the god, was located at the base of one of the ziggurat's side stairways.
DSCN7800The Ziggurat at Ur
The Ziggurat at Ur, a massive stepped pyramid about 210 by 150 feet in size, is the most well-preserved monument from the remote age of the Sumerians. It consists of a series of successively smaller platforms which rose to a height of about 64 feet, and was constructed with a solid core of mud-brick covered by a thick skin of burnt-brick to protect it from the elements. Its corners are oriented to the compass points, and like the Parthenon, its walls slope slightly inwards, giving an impression of solidity.
The ziggurat was part of a temple complex that served as an administrative center for the city, and it was also thought to be the place on earth where the moon god Nanna, the patron deity of Ur, had chosen to dwell. Nanna was depicted as a wise and unfathomable old man with a flowing beard and four horns, and a single small shrine—the bedchamber of the god—was placed upon the ziggurat's summit. This was occupied each night by only one woman, chosen by the priests from among all the women of the city to be the god's companion. A kitchen, likely used to prepare food for the god, was located at the base of one of the ziggurat's side stairways.