The Neo-Sumerian Period—a golden age of renewal after the fall of the Akkadian Empire. Discover how rulers like Ur-Nammu and Gudea revived Sumerian traditions through breathtaking works of architecture and sculpture. From the towering Ziggurat of Ur to the serene statues of Gudea and the Stele of Ur-Nammu, this episode reveals how art became a bridge between humanity and the divine. Learn how the Neo-Sumerians transformed devotion into design, and stone into stories of faith, power, and legacy.
Muquaiyir, Iraq (Southern Iraq, Once Ancient Sumeria, Biblical City of Ur) ~2125 BCE
The Ziggurat, the religious complex, stands apart from the rest of the city not just physically but also stylistically.
The homes in the city of Ur, were usually one storey mud brick rooms wrapped around a central court. There was no connection to the street except for the front door which when opened only revealed a small vestibule and a blank wall. The homes of the wealthier class usually had two storeys: ground storey for the servants/guests and upper storey for the family. The central court had four wooden posts holding up a continuous walkway to access the upper rooms. (Kostof)
The Ziggurat contrasted the city in it's regularity and openness. It wasn't dense and irregular(Kostof).Originally the Ziggurat of Ur Nammu was walled around and was reached through a grand courtyard. Ur Nammu (whom it's named after) remodelled it in the 21st Century (BCE). (Glancey)
Kostof explains thats the Ziggurat was "conceived as a substitute mountain". The Sumerians "who galvanized the first towns of Mesopotamia had come down from the mountainous North" and when they moved to the South they felt the need to recreate the natural environment of their homeland. The Ur Nammu one was dedicated to the moon god Nanna.
Ur Nammu's Ziggurat has three stages. It is built of Mud Bricks banded with Bitumen. The outer layer was baked and featured "weeper hold" which allowed for evaporation of the mud core. They also built in a drainage system to carry the rainwater. Many believe that the top terrace was also filled with trees.
As of today all that stands is the base.
Learn More: (+Image Sources)
Kostof, Spiro. A History of Architecture: Settings and Rituals.1995.
https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ancient-art-civilizations/ancient-near-east1/sumerian/a/ziggurat-of-ur
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/zigg/hd_zigg.htm
http://www.ancient-origins.net/ancient-places-asia/great-ziggurat-ur-001767
http://www.odysseyadventures.ca/articles/ur%20of%20the%20chaldees/ur_article01zig.html
http://www.mesopotamia.co.uk/ziggurats/explore/exp_main.html
