The Great Pyramids at Giza & Ancient Ziggurats

 

The Pyramids at Giza and the Ziggurats of the ancient near east monuments are very unique and beautiful in their own way. The Pyramids at Giza are located in Egypt during c. 2575-2450 BC. They have three pyramids known as Menkaure, Khafre, and the great pyramid Khufu. The Ziggurat at Magaiyir, Iraq, was built during c. 2,100-2,050 BCE and contained many different entrances around the pyramid. The Great Pyramids were much larger than the Ziggurats. The average height of the Ziggurats was about 150 feet and the pyramids averaged around 480 feet. Which is absolutely amazing because they are all man-made structures. The Ziggurats are also spread out across different countries such as Babylonia, Assyria, and Samaria. It is also known that about 25 of these were built.

Although these have similar qualities, they are also very different. They both appear to look like pyramid shapes but the ­­­­­surfaces, textile, and layout are slightly different. The Ziggurats are only made of one very large shape with other stacks of smaller rectangle shaped pyramids. The Ziggurats are made with flat surfaces on each layer, as well as the very top. They were also built higher up off the ground to be near the Gods. The Pyramids at Giza were made to a point, with smooth textures, looking sharp and very angular. The Great Pyramids were made up of limestone and had internal chambers and pathways all over. The Ziggurats were made up of baked brick and had no internal chambers, just a thick core made up of mud brick. The Ziggurats had so many entrances/exits to their pyramids for the priests to escape and be with the gods whenever they wanted. I thought that was very ingenious and unique, and somewhat personal.

         The Ziggurats were built for religious purposes and the Great Pyramids at Giza was supposedly built as chambers to protect their pharaoh’s tombs. I find that very interesting because each the Great Pyramids were each built for their pharaohs and leaders, and the ziggurats were built as a temple to be closer to their gods, to be closer to the sky. And that’s why they are built so high off the ground. I think that each of these reasons are cherished in their own way. I find that the Great Pyramids are fascinating because they have ascending pathways and descending pathways, which is amazing architecture for being so old. I also think its remarkable that these were all man-made structures and they are still standing to this day.The Ziggurats and the pyramids are so different in structure, but if you think about it, they were built for the purposes of the higher power and to cherish their gods just like we do today, with churches, mosques, etc.