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What are Ziggurats?
A: Ziggurats were high built structures that existed from around 2200 BCE until 500 BCE. Today, about 25 of them are remained, that's still found in southern Babylonian, to north of Assyria. The best decent ziggurat is named Nanna, which is found in Ur but today it's located in Iraq. And the largest ziggurat is found at Chonga Zanbil in Elam, but today, it's placed in Iran. The Ziggurat is believed to be nearly 50 metres high.  What were they build of? A:The Ziggurats were built of mud bricks, with facades that were made from glazed brick. The base was either in the shape of a square or rectangle. What is the common size for a Ziggurat? A:The most common size for a Ziggurat would be either 50x50 or 40x50 meters. From the base- up, new steps were added, until the ziggurat was topped by a small sanctuary. Why was the walls starting to slope down? And how did they solve this problem? A: Since all the walls were starting to slope down, and all horizontal lines were slightly convex, the Egyptians had to make them less rigid when seen by the human eye. It is believed, inorder to stop the sloping walls, they would cover these walls with trees and shrubs. On the top of the ziggurat, was either a triple stairway or a spiral ramp. If the Ziggurat wasn't know to be the place of public worship or ceremonies, what was it referred too? A: Although,the Ziggurat was probably not the best place for public worshipping or ceremonies,
it was rather the house of God. This was a better way for the gods to be
closer towards mankind. Who performed and witnessed the cults in the ziggurats? A: The cults in the ziggurats were performed and
witnessed only by the priests. Their assignments were to provide all the needs for the gods. What are the symbolic meanings or theories behind the Ziggurats? 1) They were reconstructed by the mountain temples that the new people of Mesopotamia used to stay in while they lived in either the Taurus, that's now in Turkey or the Zagros Mountains , that's also found today in Iran. 2) The Ziggurat was reconstructed to the cosmic mountain from the creation myths. 3) The Ziggurat was built as a bridge between heaven and earth. 4) Lastly, the link within Egypt, of the step pyramids
have many similarities compared to the Ziggurat. And people and ideas had moved
between distant regions, and ancient times was one of them. How does the pyramids of Egypt present us with a mystery to how they were built? A: Where the largest and finest
pyramids were built from enormous stones often transported for long
distance, here came the Ziggurats, that were built from small mud bricks which was
locally produced. Who first came up with the idea to built the Ziggurat? A: King Gudea of Lagash
was given the assignment to first build a ziggurat by the god Ningirsu who
appeared to him in a dream. Ningirsu even presented to Gudea how the
ziggurat should look like. What was the process on building this monumental structure? A: The
process of building the ziggurat was a religious act,
which everyone participated in, to have good behaviour skills, and stay honest human beings. During
the time it was built, many offerings had to brought towards the
gods. How long did the temple celebration last for? A: The completion of the temple was a great celebration, that lasted for several days. What happened during this celebration? A: During this celebration, a holy wedding between
two of the gods was performed, and plenty of offerings were served to
the most important gods.
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