...Pyramids and ziggurats both provide archeologists with a great deal of information about the ancient cultures that constructed them. When comparing The Great Pyramids of Egypt with The Ziggurats of Mesopotamia, the differences between them are more apparent than the similarities that they share. The two structures actually only appear to be similar. Both have the general form of a pyramid. Some other similarities shared by these two types of structures can be interpreted from the context of the religions of those who had them erected and what role they served for the society. Among the differences are their intended usage, how they were decorated, their designs, and the materials used in their construction. In order to clearly describe how different these two structures are, I have summarized some information about their designs and the materials used to build them. Contrasts in the decorations of the two types of structures are then discussed. The intended uses of these structures then introduces some similarities in relation to the religious symbolism of the structures. Considered to be among the greatest wonders of the known world, The Pyramids of Egypt were built with exacting precision from granite blocks. The pyramids of the early dynasties were of a more stepped pyramid form, similar in appearance to the ziggurats of Mesopotamia. Advancements in available technologies and construction techniques in the later dynasties of ancient Egypt allowed for pyramids to be constructed...
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...civilization, and the third and final destination the Roman civilization. Prehistoric/Mesopotamian Civilization Well it is time to take a seat, strap on my seatbelt, and set the dials for my first stop the Mesopotamian civilization and on this journey, my destination in this civilization will be the Ziggurat of king Urnammu (Nanna), and it is an architectural piece of art. Hey if you get a little nauseas, there is a barf bag in the seat pocket, for the first timers, off we go. The Great Ziggurat of Ur is an ancient Sumerian ziggurat in Dhi Qar Province, Iraq. The Sumerian King Urnammu (Nanna) and his son Shulgi built the ziggurat in approximately the 21st century BC during the Third Dynasty of Ur, in dedication to the moon God Nanna. They were believed to be dwelling places for the gods and each city had its own patron God. Only priests were permitted on the ziggurat or in the rooms at its base, and it was their responsibility to care for the gods and attend to their needs. The priests were very powerful members of Sumerian society. Ziggurats usually found in the center of villages. This structure-constructed in ca. 2500-2050 BCE of sunbaked mud brick. The massive step pyramid measures 210 feet (64m) in length, 150 feet (46m) in width and more than 100 feet (30m) in height. As I walk through the halls of this temple, I believe it reveals that the creator wanted closeness with the God he...
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...Taylor P Ancient Architecture Functions of Ancient Monuments Ancient monuments have been discovered to be a prominent feature of many different ancient civilizations throughout history. The most elaborate and well known ancient buildings are the pyramids and the ziggurats of Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Mesoamerica. The construction of these massive monuments began sometime during the fourth millennium BC and to this day many can still be seen. Although believed by most to serve a particular religious function, historians are still trying to discover the exact purpose of these breathtaking feats of architecture. However, through the vast studies of archaeology, enough information has been acquired to make some valid theories. The first civilization to construct a massive architectural project was the Egyptians with their construction of the pyramids. It is believed that the Egyptian civilization began around 5500 BC and then began to flourish as a result of new innovations in agriculture and the abundance of natural resources around the Nile. Over time, Egyptians made great achievements in mathematics, writing, astronomy, medicine, engineering, and architecture. This played a huge part in the progression of Egypt into a powerful and influential civilization. In addition to these achievements, the significance of religion was another extremely important factor that allowed the Egyptian civilization to thrive. Egyptians practiced polytheism. In their religion, not only were...
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...1)What does the study of humanities involve? What is the relevance of humanities in architecture? 1.The study of humanities involves academic disciplines that study human culture and history. The humanities include ancient and modern languages ,literature, philosophy, religion, and visual and performing arts such as music and theatre. We learn about distant cultures or past cultures. Through the exploration of humanities we learn how to think creatively and critically to reason and ask questions. These efforts preserve the great accomplishments of the past help us understand the world we live in and give us tools to imagine the future. 2.What are the broad divisions of human history? Write a brief on each. Prehistory (meaning "before history", or "before knowledge acquired by investigation", from the Latin word for "before," præ, and historia) is the span of time before recorded history or the invention of writing systems. Prehistory refers to the period of human existence before the availability of those written records with which recorded history begins. More broadly, it can refer to all the time preceding human existence and the invention. The term "prehistory" can refer to the vast span of time since the beginning of the Universe, but more often it refers to the period since life appeared on Earth, or even more specifically to the time since human-like beings appeared.[4][5] In dividing up human prehistory, prehistorians typically use the three-age system, whereas scholars...
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...At the center of each major city was a large temple of ziggurats built to that god. This was where the priests would live and make sacrifices. Some of the ziggurats were huge and reached great heights. The ziggurat was built to honor the main god of the city. The tradition of building a ziggurat was started by the Sumerians, but other civilizations of Mesopotamia such as the Akkadians, the Babylonians, and the Assyrians also built ziggurats. Ziggurats looked like step pyramids. Each level would be smaller than the one...
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...Tigris-Euphrates, the theory that Mesopotamia is the cradle of civilization is widely accepted.[14]The Mesopotamian civilization of Sumer emerges in the Ubaid period (6500-3800 BC) and Uruk period (ca. 4000 to 3100 BC), culminating in the mid-3rd millennium before giving rise to the Akkadian Empire in the 24th century BC. This is often identified as the first empire in history. Eridu was the oldest Sumerian site, settled during the proto-civilized Ubaid period. Situated several miles southwest of Ur, Eridu was the southernmost of a conglomeration of early temple-cities, in Sumer, southern Mesopotamia, with the earliest of these settlements dating to around 5000 BC. By the 4th millennium BC in Nippur we[who?] find — in connection with a sort of ziggurat and shrine — a conduit built of bricks in the form of an arch. Sumerian inscriptions written on clay also appear in Nippur. By 4000 BC an ancient Elamite city of Susa, in Mesopotamia, also seems to emerge from earlier villages. Whilst the Elamites originally had their own script, from an early age they adapted the Sumerian cuneiform script to their own language. The earliest recognizable cuneiform dates to no later than about 3500 BC. Other villages that began to spring up around this time in the Ancient Near East (Middle East) were greatly impacted and shifted rapidly from a proto-civilized to a fully civilized state (e.g. Ebla, Mari and...
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...developments in terms of architecture and technology. Mesopotamia and Harappa were both able to make advancements in architecture as evidenced by the construction of the architectural forms. Similarly, most of the buildings and homes of Mesopotamia and Harappa were comprised of mud bricks. Due to the civilizations’ locations near rivers, mud, which could be dried into uniform bricks, was an abundant resource. Architecture between the civilizations have differentiations as evidenced by their cities and their construction. In Mesopotamia, cities were built around temples, or ziggurats, dedicated to a god/goddess in order for the city to receive the protection from that deity. Ziggurats were multi-staged pyramids dominated and represented Mesopotamian architecture, indicating the emphasis and importance of the polytheistic religion in Mesopotamian culture. In Harappa, similar religious structures to the ziggurats were not present. Rather, the noteworthy dominating structures of the cities were the overlooking and protective citadels of the cities. The citadels were raised to around 40 feet high and were fortified with towers and walls. In addition, Harrapan towns were on a well designed grid, exemplifying practicality and security being valued by the Harappan culture. In contrast with the patterned grid of Harappan cities, Mesopotamian cities were...
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...The other three sides are formed by a retaining wall, varying in height with the slope of the ground from 13 to 41 feet ( 4 to 12 metres ); on the west side a magnificent double stair in two flights of 111 short stone steps leads to the top. " ( Persepolis , Britannica ) In Persepolis, staircases are used as an entrance to the huge terrace in there. Ziggurat of Ur - BC 6th Century Ziggurat was built during the early Bronze Age as an administrative centre for the city. Ziggurat is a pyramidal temple and it is an architectural and religious structure . (2015 , Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia ) Stairs were built to understand the suffering that reaching to God , so they are made long and narrow stairs . The Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut - BC 4th Century Religion was very important for people in that period and the Mortuary Temple is built for the sun god Amon - Ra . On the other hand , they always gave importance their religious symbols . They used under the temple as morgue and they wanted to first reach to the place of worship before going down to the morgue . Pergamon - BC 3th...
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...Where would our world be today if the ancient civilizations in Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Palestine did not exist? Who do we have to thank for their achievements? What contributions did they make to society? In these paragraphs the ancient world of Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Palestine will come back to life as I talk about their achievements and contributions that helped not only to their civilizations, but helps to the future civilizations to come. In 2650 B.C. Egypt's Old Kingdom era began. (Document 1) During this time period dynasties were created and in those dynasties were Egyptian rulers called pharaohs. The pharaohs had majestic pyramids as tombs built to show their power. These pyramids started the architectural development. Every since the Egyptian civilization started the Egyptians believed in faithful life after death. On judgment day the more pure you are the better and kinder judged you will be by Osiris the god of the dead. (Document 3) The Egyptians wore clothing made out of cotton. Cotton is one of the world's most important agricultural products and not many civilizations could grow it so the Egyptians sold it. (Document 4) Egyptians had a system of writing called hieroglyphics. Hieroglyphics are a form of pictures to create an idea. Over time scribes developed demotic a simpler form of writing. They wrote on paper like material called papyrus. The Egyptians were among the first to use something to write on rather than stone and clay tablets. Now today we have...
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...YEAR 10 RELIGIOUS EDUCATION ASSESSMENT TASK ANCIENT RELIGIONS Religions of Ancient Mesopotamia George Pauls 10K Ms. Delalande (Note: Ms Delanlande instructed that essay format was permitted and an extension was granted in regards to my absence.) George Pauls 10K Year 10 Religious Education Assessment Task Ancient Religions – Religions of Ancient Mesopotamia Many religions around the world in modern time are still believed and followed by a large portion of the world’s population with the predominant religions being Christianity, Islam and Buddhism. Many Religions have simply come to a halt and ceased to be believed and followed such as the religions in Ancient Egypt and Ancients Greece. One of the lesser known and arguably the oldest ancient religion of our world was the ancient religion on Mesopotamia, which did follow some key concepts from the other foreign ancient religions in which there were multiple gods, goddesses and other deities and supreme beings. It is believed to have originated over fifty centuries ago. Mesopotamia is known more commonly known as Iraq, situated within the Middle East. The religion of Ancient Mesopotamia consists of numerous components. The God Anu (Below) The God Anu (Below) The Mesopotamian religion was followed by Sumerians and Akkadians (Assyrians/Babylonians) who lived in Mesopotamia. Mesopotamian religion was basically perceived as a form of paganism with over 2100 deities which associated with a specific region, city or state within...
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...EARLY CIVILIZATIONS MATRIX CIVILIZATION | politics | society/ economics | technology | art | music | architecture | philosophy | literature | Prehistoric | Families and Clans were important | Hunter/GatherSocietyHealer/Nurturers | Stone Tools | Cave paintingsDecorated pottery | Drumming | Stonehenge | animism | hieroglyphs | Mesopotamian | Social classesKings | AgriculturalReligious beliefs in gods that are not nature itselfWritten Law | Multiplication tables | Ziggurat | Found musical instruments in royal burial sites | pyramids | Search for immortality | Epic | Ancient Egyptian | 1st pharaoh, Narmer (Menes) | Theocratic socialism | SundialWater clockGlass is produced | Created to replicate the living world | Hymns were chantedHarps, pipes, Sistrums | Great Pyramid of Gizeh | cosmology | Papyrus rolls | Archaic Greek | democracy | City-statesThe Olympic games | Theory of the solar eclipse | Fresco | Ballads of war | Palace of Minos, | AristotleNaturalistsPlatoethics | allegory | CIVILIZATION | politics | society/ economics | technology | art | music | architecture | philosophy | literature | Aegean | Aitolian koinon | | | | | | | | Classical Greek | Alexander the Great | Humanism | Steel is produced | Realistic and stayed true to nature | Ode, museKitharalyre | The Parthenon | Socrates | | Hellenistic | Alexandria | Urbanismtrade | Catapultastronomy | Kritios BoyFriezesNude sculptures | Seikolos songSappho | GableMetopetholos | Skepticism, cynicism...
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...Origins of Religion • The First Civilizations • Early Religious Patterns • Religion was centered around capricious entities that needed to be appeased – The Phoenicians: • Baal Hammon (male storm god) and Tanit (female fertility figure) • Tophets (walled cemetries) excavated reveal that often children were sacrificed • Prehistoric Communities • Paleolithic and Neolithic Settlements • Life in Neolithic communities led to the development of art and religion. There was a belief in a higher power. Mother Earth (source of all new life) and Father Sky (all powerful). There is also evidence of burial of the dead. • Neolithic Religion • Led to reverence of ancestors – Old persons often received elaborate burials • Religious worship of early farming communities were centered around Mother Earth (source of life)and Sky God(all powerful male) • Megaliths were erected to relate to religious beliefs • Megaliths included burial chambers, calendar circles, or marking celestial occurrences – Rising sun, solstices, equinoxes • Neolithic goddess • Life in New Towns and Villages • Religious shrines could be found (2 per household) – A goddess was the venerated central deity • Metalworking became a predominant activity around 6400 BC – Abundance of copper and lead in the area – Gold and silver also appear • Farmers had to produce...
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...History of Engineering & Technology Questions on Lectures 1,2 and 3 1-Discuss shortly the meaning of the following items: Art –Science – Engineering Art: is a term that describes a diverse range of human activities and the products of those activities. Science: is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testing predictions about the universe. Engineering: is skill of applying scientific, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes. 2- What are the types of art? (Give examples) •Static Art: or fixed Art like painting, sculpture, printmaking, photography •Dynamic Art: or moved Art like Music, theatre, film, dance, Drama and other performing arts 3- What are the aims and basic operations of the science and engineering? Science: Aim: understand the universe Basic operation: - The discovery of theories by using experiments - Analysis to find the suitable design - Ask why? - Experimental Design -Logical skills Engineering: Aim: check the needs of society Basic operation: -Innovation – design – Production - Analysis – Imagine –deriving - Test – planning - Communication skills - Problem solving 4- The earliest civil engineer is: (Imhotep - Newton -Jon Semiton – EbnSena) 5- The Engineering word was found at 18th century by Jon Semiton 6- Divide civilizations according to the historical times 1.Ancient era (from 4000...
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...and Egypt Vocabulary words you will need to know for the test are: Cuneiform- Earliest forms of writing Diaspora- Jews that live outside Israel Delta- Empire- A single supreme authority Fertile Crescent- An area of fertile soil Hieroglyphics- Egyptian form of writing Mesopotamia- It’s the area of the Tigris-Euphrates Monotheistic- Belief of only one god Mummification- How Egyptians prepared the body before burial. Papyrus- Ancient Egyptian paper Pharaoh- Egyptian king Polytheistic- Belief of more than one god Rosetta Stone- A stone with writing on it in two different languages Sabbath- A religious day for jews Theocracy- A government of three Torah- A book of religious laws for jews Ziggurat- Rectangular stepped tower Important People: Cyrus the Great- The first Assyrian king Darius the third king of persia David king of Isreal Hammurabi the sixth Amorite king Hatshepsut the fifth pharaoh of eygpt Nebuchadnezzar Assyrian king Ramses II the third pharaoh Sargon akkadian emperor Solomon the king of Israel and son of david Thurmose III the third pharaoh of the 18th dynasty Tutankhamen pharaoh of the 18th dynasty Zoroaster the founder of zorastrianism Concepts you will need to know for this test are: 1.) Who was the first civilization to settle in the Fertile Crescent? Mesopotamia 2.) Why was Mesopotamia called, “land between the rivers”? What rivers? The tigris and Euphrates...
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...Review of Four of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World There have been many lists assembled from ancient times to present day noting the spectacular natural wonders and manmade structures in the World. The first known list of remarkable structures is referred to as the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Ancient Greek and Roman scholars wrote about these wonders of architecture beauty. Located around the Mediterranean and Middle East, the seven wonders were: Great Pyramid of Giza, Hanging Gardens of Babylon, Statue of Zeus at Olympia, Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, Colossus of Rhodes, and the Lighthouse of Alexandria. This paper will review four of these wonders. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon are thought to be series huge and magnificent gardens, towering over the city of Babylon. According to legend, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon were created by King Nebuchadnezzar II around 600 B.C. ("12 Key Facts”). The king built these beautiful gardens to cheer up his wife, Amytis who was homesick for her homeland. There is no physical evidence these gardens actually existed, only the descriptions provided through ancient writings. The Greek geographer Strabo, who described the gardens in first century B.C., wrote, “It consists of vaulted terraces raised one above another, and resting upon cube-shaped pillars. These are hollow and filled with earth to allow trees of the largest size to be planted. The pillars, the vaults, and terraces are constructed...
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