Its Babylonian name was "Etemenanki" (see below) which means in English "House of the platform of Heaven and Earth". This was a ziggurat already old by the time of his reign and could have been the same as the ziggurat that existed in the reign of Hammurapi. Of the ziggurat built in Babylon at the time of Hammurapi we know little but there is a large amount of documentation of the ziggurat that existed in the time of Nebuchadnezzar II (605-562 BC) who deported the Jews. The Building of the Tower of Babel, by Abel Grimmer (1570-1619) They might have temples to other gods but they would only have a ziggurat to the city god. The size and splendor of a ziggurat would show the city and king’s devotion to the particular city god being worshipped. The Babylonians, and others of their religion, gave rich offerings to the gods and built splendid temples. Obviously the same can be done on ground level but on top of the ziggurat they would be "nearer the god". This was so the gods could be contacted and worshipped.
Ziggurats were built to reach nearer the heavens. What part did Ziggurats play in Religion? These however were some 3000 years after the early Mesopotamian ziggurats. The Aztecs and other people inhabiting the area built huge "stepped" structures for worshipping their gods. Similar structures to ziggurats have been discovered at the other side of the world, in Central America. These were with three "steps" but later Ziggurats had as many as seven "steps". Some of the earliest proper ziggurats were built by Ur-Nammu (2112-2095), a late Sumerian king of Ur. Around the base there might be more temples or in some case accommodation for priests. The ziggurats were built on an immense scale: in the time of Hammurapi they would sometimes reach the height of 150 feet. Any visitor could not but see the ziggurat. Therefore the ziggurat was not just a religious center but also a center of civic pride. The city ziggurat would easily be the most conspicuous building in the city, towering above any visitors coming to their city. This Temple would have been to the city god. Ziggurats were huge "stepped" structures with, on their summit, far above the ground, a temple. One of the most important aspects of Babylonian religion and tradition, and probably the best known, is the ziggurat.
0 kommentar(er)
