...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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...WEEK 8 Discuss the similarities and differences between the Mesopotamian ziggurat and the Egyptian pyramid both in style and function. Man has a tendency to build large monumental things, not only today, but also during our ancient past. The Sumerians and the Egyptians are two cultures, from our past, that have accomplished these feats. The Sumerian ziggurats and Egyptian pyramids have some similarities and differences. The ziggurats and the pyramids have some similarities. They are both examples of the massive structures that were built in support of their cultural or religious beliefs. They were both built with a great deal of manpower with no use of any big machinery that we are familiar with today. Their society's leaders commissioned in building these massive structures were: the king of the Sumerian civilization for the ziggurats and the pharaoh of the Egyptian civilization for the pyramids. Their similarities pretty much ends here. At a closer look, the ziggurats and the pyramid had many differences. The pharaohs, in preparation for his death, built the pyramids as place for his tomb and his priced possessions and servers (to ensure that his needs are met in the afterlife) and also for his queen. It is said that the pharaoh ruled in the authority of the God and that the pyramid would help him ascend to the Gods. The Sumerian king had the ziggurats built for use as a place for worship, like a temple, for the Sumerian society. One story also suggest that...
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...Harvard Management Communication Letter A Newsletter from Harvard Business School Publishing Tools, Techniques, and Ideas for the Articulate Executive Article Reprint No. C0504C The Best Memo You’ll Ever Write by Holly Weeks This document is authorized for use by Ethan Beldengreen-Karas, from 8/30/2012 to 12/1/2012, in the course: BUS 365: Communication and Professional Development - Epstein/Graves (Fall 2012), Emory University. Any unauthorized use or reproduction of this document is strictly prohibited. For a complete list of Harvard Business School Publishing newsletters: http://newsletters.harvardbusinessonline.org For reprint and subscription information for Harvard Management Communication Letter: Call 800-988-0866 or 617-783-7500 http://hmcl.harvardbusinessonline.org For customized and quantity orders of reprints: Call 617-783-7626 Fax 617-783-7658 For permission to copy or republish: Call 12/1/2012, in the This document is authorized for use by Ethan Beldengreen-Karas, from 8/30/2012 to 617-783-7587 course: BUS 365: Communication and Professional Development - Epstein/Graves (Fall 2012), Emory University. Any unauthorized use or reproduction of this document is strictly prohibited. Writing The Best Memo You’ll Ever Write Every memo—or report or e-mail—is important in today’s business environment. If you keep in mind that readers are content driven, time pressed, and decision focused, you can write right—every time. by...
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...1. In this assignment we will evaluate settings for events with common characteristics between the periods of ancient civilizations, Paleolithic, and Neolithic to Egyptian civilization. What we are looking for are changes in these cultures, if any, how and why did the change occur and what may have triggered them. As a civilization progresses and evolves they bring with them common characteristics from their predecessors. Some of these characteristics are government, economy, food and supplies, social equality, and religion. The Paleolithic were among the first to inhabit the regions of Western Europe stretching to Egypt. They were also the first to adapt to the land, hunt and gathered, and also experimented with art, textures, and colors. The Paleolithic didn’t have a form of government more of a tribe family which were ruled by the male and differed from city to city. They also didn’t have an economic system or a way to trade goods. However they were among the many to learn how to evolve their weapons into more effective ways to hunt. The Neolithic civilization carried these same common characteristics, but evolved it and organized it a lot better. There form of government was evolved into a chief and council system. Hunting and gathering was also in existence but were evolved to farming and creating surpluses. Art was also apparent more so in sculptures, textures, and more discovered materials. Also a barter system was established where one could trade their precious items...
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...without the help of machinery. The main reason for this question was because each pyramid was composed of millions of limestone blocks each weighing 25 to 80 tons each and was located on the west side of the Nile. Experts have also talked a lot about the methods by which each block was raised into position. It was theory that wooden and bronze levers were used to move the blocks, a system of ramps, terrestrials or just millions of workers. There was also debate on how did they get these huge stones from the quarries into the middle of the desert. Some archaeologists believed that they used large boats, traveling the Nile or just simply rolled and drug them. I believe the theory of a million of workers is possible but whether they dragged, lifted or even rolled each stone into place is not.The Greeks believed slaves was used, but modern Egyptologists accept that it was thousands of skilled workers. Verner posited that the labor was organized into a hierarchy, consisting of two gangs of 100,000 men, divided into five groups of 20,000 men each, which may have been further divided according to the skills of the workers. So through research I believe these men may have used a system of ramps. Most archaeologists agreed that a system of ramps must have been used to drag the millions of blocks into their positions in the various pyramids. There are traces of these ramps around some of the older pyramids to suggest that at least five different systems of ramp might have been used. The...
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...Eternal Life in Ancient Egypt. Ancient Egyptian culture cannot be talked about without its pyramids and the mummification process because they are the greatest achievements of their civilization I believe. The Egyptian pyramids were not build in isolation, rather they are a part of a larger complex dedicated to the dead, in fact they are also known as the city of dead. The National Museum of Natural History exhibition focuses more on the mummification process than the pyramids but the entire exhibits makes this ancient Egyptian tradition more meaningful. The first chapter of the text talks about the mummification, and pyramids of Egypt, but touring the exhibit makes it more meaningful. The process also gave me a better understanding of the phrase “Egyptian mommies.” Touring the...
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...Did you know that if the Pyramid of Giza was cut into 12 inch cubes, there'd be enough to circle the moon almost 3 times. I've heard many facts about ancient Egypt, but are they all facts? To answer that question, I researched about Egypt mythology, so their gods and goddesses, their kings, queens, pharaohs, mummification, and their beliefs of the afterlife. But let me his straight: the beginning of the ancient Egyptian era began about 5,000 years ago. (Around 3100 BCE) Egyptians were very religious, and they believed that everything in their lives depended on gods and goddesses. We know over 2,000 names of gods, but I'll only tell you about a few important ones. Egyptians believed that the god Ptah was the creator of earth. A very...
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...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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...from the title the author also used several instruments to abdicate the boy’s personal legend. And the most important instrument that he used is the boy’s dream. The boy’s dream inside an abandoned church where there was an enormous sycamore that grew where the sacristy was. The boy’s revelation of his dream to the interpreter goes like this: “I had the same dream twice; I was in the field with my sheep, when a child appeared and began to play with the animals. I don’t like people to do that, because the sheep are afraid of strangers. But children always seem to be able to play without frightening them. The child continued to play with my sheep for quite a while and suddenly the child took my both hands and transported me to the Egyptian pyramids. Then the child said to me, ‘if you come here you will find a treasure’ and just as she was about to show me the exact location I woke up both times.” Well this is a hint of what the boy’s Legend is all about. One of the fundamentals of a good novel is its...
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...excelled in building. They built pyramids as testimony of their greatness. Also, they left a significant cultural momentum in science, art of embalming and symbols for gods and goddesses they believed in. The Egyptian Pyramids The pharaohs believed that death on the earth was just the start of a journey to the next world, and all the evidence referred to that the pharaohs worked in their life preparing for the afterlife. As so, they built the pyramids to be their tombs, to keep their jewelries and their bodies to take it with them to the other life. Booth (2010) stated that "it was believed that if the discarded body were preserved, it would remain a focus for the spirit that had left it, exerting an attraction that pulled it down to earth" (para.1). Pyramids of El-Giza There are many pyramids have found in Egypt, but the most famous three are those which found in El-Giza, couple hundred meters south from Cairo. The three pyramids are Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure. Khufu pyramid also known as the Great Pyramid is considered as the tallest pyramids and the oldest wonder of the Seven Wonders of the World. The Great Pyramid needs more than 10.000 laborers working in three-month shifts took around 30 years to build the pyramid (Egyption Antiquities Organization, 2001). All the three pyramids of El-Giza contain corridors led to the chambers inside each one. For example, according to Romer (2007), There are three known chambers inside the Great Pyramid. The lowest chamber is cut into...
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...Matt Cannis Western Civilization Essay question #1 October 13th, 2012 The main key to the civilization of Egypt was the Nile River. The Nile over flowed once a year leaving deposits of minerals and fertile black soil, which made it the richest agricultural region in the Mediterranean world(17). The whole civilization ran up and down the Nile, no more than fourteen miles away in either direction. Egyptian history was divided into three periods called kingdoms(Old, Middle, New and two intermediate periods). Egypt was divided into two kingdoms, lower in the north and upper in the south, since the Nile flows from south to north. Two of the major cities were actually developed in Lower Egypt, Nekhen and Abydos(18). The two communities were pretty developed for their time. Pharaohs(which means “great household”) were appointed to rule over Egypt(19).They formed their own political organization, religion, industry, and new ideas. We know the least about the history of the Old Kingdom. Historians relied on texts from the deceased. They came to discover that the Egyptians were very keen on the aspect of death. We do however find out a lot about the Pharaohs. They were considered the link between the land, people, and their gods(21). Taxes, trade, and labor were all administered by the Pharaoh as well. Even though the Pharaoh was in so much power, they needed help. So they appointed “governors” called nomarchs, which usually was from their family. Since Egypt was so huge, communication...
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...2012 PYRAMID I. Introduction: Nowadays, when we look at the huge and modern builiding around us, we often admire to know the way architects created them. Each building has their own features and very diversified in their shapes. Looking at how beautiful they are, we can image that the constructions need a lot of efforts from the architects and workers, and they may use many advanced and modern facilities to bring them the best work. Besides, if we think about the past, without technology, there would be impossible for the ancient people build anything amazing like these. But that is not true, and you will be surprised when you see how mighty the pyramids are. Especially, the Great Pyramid of Giza is the only one of the seven ancient wonders still remaining to our days and one of the most famous tourist attractions in the modern world. II. Body: 1) What is pyramid? + Pyramid is a structure whose shape is triangular and converges to a single point at the top. The base of a pyramid can be trilateral, quadrilateral, or any polygon shape, and the square pyramid is a common version. + Most of Pyramids represent for the tomb of Pharoahs, kings of acient Egypt, who believed that they could take their bodies and worldly possessions to the next world by burying inside the pyramid. Usually, they started construction on their pyramid many years before their death. 2) How to build a pyramid? + The estimate of the number of workers to build the pyramids range...
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...history is most recognized for its magnificent temples, tombs, and pyramids; all which are considered remarkable architecture feats considering the limited tools and resources available at the time which these sites and structures were created. We can benefit and learn from the Egyptians through studying the buildings created, and history left behind. In regards to the great pyramids created, the Great Pyramid of Giza is one of the only temples remaining that is still largely intact. The unsurpassed level of craftsmanship and architectural engineering capabilities it took to create this pyramid are outstanding. The modern inventions of today would make it possible for us to replicate the pyramid with the use of steel, concrete, glass, and an array of power tools. Most of the material would be pre-fabricated in warehouses and then shipped to the site where it would then be assembled. The image on the right shows the Louvre Pyramid and severs as the main entrance to the Louvre in Paris, France. It was designed by French architects and the design idea was to showcase a transparent pyramid. The architects referenced Egyptian pyramids when they designed the building. However, the new and improved design is supported by steel beams and cables, with glass allowing the entire space to be illuminated by the sun. I personally appreciate the hard-work and level of dedication and precision it took for not only for the Pyramid of Giza but for the other architectural buildings as well knowing...
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...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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...The Pyramid Temple of Khafre Not all is clear when diving almost 5000 years into the past. A good deal is known about Khafre but where his reign lies is a little unclear. Khafre was the son of King Khufu and his queen Henutsen. Some experts say Khafre was the immediate successor of Khufu and some say Djedefre, also Khufu’s son was the immediate successor and Khafre followed his rule. Either way Khafre is known to have ruled during the 4th Dynasty of the Old Kingdom. During his rule he was married to two queens, Khamerenebty I and Meresankh. He had a son with Khamerenebty who was named Menkaure and became king after Khafre’s death. When Khafre became king seems to be lost in history. Sources I have come across believe his rule to roughly be between 2558 BC and 2532 BC. Our book however, (Art History Vol. 1) states his rule to be from 2520-2494 BCE. What I get from this is that little evidence is available for a reliable time of rule. Khafre’s pyramid which will be the main focus of my paper is one of the Ancient Egyptian Pyramids of Giza located in the outskirts of Cairo, Egypt. Khafre’s pyramid lays roughly a few hundred meters to the southwest of his father Khufu and Menkaure’s pyramid lays a few hundred meters further southwest of his father. (Pyramids by Joyce Filer) It only seems natural to first discuss the creation of the pyramid temple of Khafre. To build such a monumental structure thousands of workers would be needed including stone cutters, surveyors...
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