Ziggurat facts for kids
A ziggurat is a huge, stepped tower built long ago in a region called Mesopotamia, which is now mostly Iraq. These amazing buildings have several levels, each one smaller than the one below it. They look a bit like giant, layered cakes!
Some famous ziggurats include the Great Ziggurat of Ur and the Ziggurat of Aqar Quf. There was also the Etemenanki in Babylon, which is now destroyed. Other important ones are Chogha Zanbil in Khūzestān, Iran, and Sialk.
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What is a Ziggurat?
Ziggurats were built by ancient people like the Sumerians, Akkadians, Elamites, and Babylonians. They built them for their local religions. Each ziggurat was part of a larger temple area that had other buildings too.
The very first ziggurats were simple raised platforms. These platforms date back to the Ubaid period, around 6,000 years ago. Over time, these platforms grew into the tall, stepped towers we call ziggurats.
How Ziggurats Were Built
Ziggurats were usually shaped like an oval, rectangle, or square. The main part of the ziggurat was made from sun-baked bricks. The outside was covered with fired bricks, which were stronger. Each step or level was a bit smaller than the one below it.
Sometimes, the outer bricks were covered in different colors. These colors might have had special meanings related to stars or planets. Kings would sometimes engrave their names on these colorful bricks. Ziggurats could have anywhere from two to seven levels.
Why Ziggurats Were Built
People usually think that a small shrine or temple sat on top of the ziggurat. This idea comes from ancient writers like Herodotus. However, archaeologists have not found much physical proof of these shrines.
It is believed that these shrines were very important. They might have been used for special ceremonies, like a "sacred marriage" ritual. Herodotus wrote that the shrine on top of the ziggurat in Babylon had a large golden bed. A woman would spend the night there alone, and the god Marduk was said to come and sleep in his shrine.
It is very hard to find these shrines today. Most ziggurats have been worn down by time and weather. But old texts might still tell us more about why these shrines were built. Many experts believe ziggurats grew from earlier temples built on platforms. They think small shrines were placed on the highest levels.
Access to the top shrine was usually by ramps. These ramps could be on one side of the ziggurat or spiral all the way up from the bottom.
Ziggurats and the Gods
Mesopotamian ziggurats were not places where everyone could go for public worship. People believed they were the homes of the gods. Each city had its own special god. Only priests were allowed on the ziggurat or in the rooms at its base. It was the priests' job to take care of the gods and make sure their needs were met. Priests were very powerful people in ancient Sumerian and Assyro-Babylonian society.
Famous Ziggurats
One of the best-preserved ziggurats is Chogha Zanbil in western Iran. Another very old ziggurat is the Sialk ziggurat in Kashan, Iran. It dates back to the early 3rd millennium BCE, making it the oldest known ziggurat.
Ziggurat designs varied a lot. Some were simple bases for a temple. Others were amazing examples of building and math, with many terraced levels topped with a temple.
The White Temple of Uruk
An example of a simpler ziggurat is the White Temple of Uruk, in ancient Sumer. The ziggurat itself is the base that the White Temple sits on. Its purpose was to lift the temple closer to the heavens. Steps provided a way to get from the ground to the temple.
The people of Mesopotamia believed these pyramid-like temples connected heaven and earth. In fact, the ziggurat at Babylon was called Etemenanki. This name means "House of the Platform between Heaven and Earth."
The Marduk Ziggurat (Etemenanki)
A huge and impressive ziggurat was the Marduk ziggurat, also known as Etemenanki, in ancient Babylon. Sadly, not much of its base is left today. This massive structure was once 91 meters (about 300 feet) tall!
Archaeological finds and old stories tell us this tower had seven colorful levels. A beautiful temple sat on top. The temple is thought to have been painted a deep indigo color, matching the tops of the levels. There were three staircases leading to the temple. Two of these side staircases only went up halfway.
The name Etemenanki is from the Sumerian language. It means "temple of the foundation of heaven and earth." We don't know exactly when it was first built. Some guess it was between the 14th and 9th centuries BCE. Old texts suggest it existed in the second millennium BCE.
List of Ziggurats
- Ziggurat of Aqar Quf
- Great ziggurat of Ur
- Ziggurat of Etemananki
- Ziggurat of Ur
See also
In Spanish: Zigurat para niños
