Pyramids and Ziggurats

Pyramids and ziggurats both provide archeologists with a slap-up deal of information more(prenominal) or less the ancient cultures that constructed them. When comparing The Great Pyramids of Egypt with The Ziggurats of Mesopotamia and the Mesoamerican Pyramids, the differences between them argon more likely than the similarities that they share. The structures single appear to be similar. both(prenominal) film the general form of a pyramid. several(prenominal) other similarities shared by these structures can be interpreted from a sacred context of those who had them erected and what role they served for the society.Among the differences are their usage, how they were decorated, their designs, and the materials used in their construction. The Egyptian pyramids were strengthened as the final resting military position for the pharaoh. It was likewise where the Pharaohs possessions were kept for him to enjoy in the afterlife. What has been rear in spite of appearance of th ese tremendous pyramids are precise layouts. For example, page 51 in our starting line book shows a diagram of the pyramid and inside each of them is a press shaft that extends from the deepest chamber to the outside. Coincidentally it is reorient with the North Star.The Great Pyramids are kind of evoke. The st superstars are so tight that you cannot heretofore put a knife in between the stones. It makes you think how could this be practicable? It makes you think how did these pyramids get built? Some might say that they were moved on wooden sleds, but it is quite weighty to imagine how they constructed something on this scale. While it is legitimate that the forced delve of war prisoners was a common practice at the time, or so people agree that the humongous labor force used in create the pyramids consisted of workers from throughout Egypt as it states in our book.Another interesting fact is that they are excessively abruptly square and they are aligned or so preci sely with a compass. So actually the main purposes of these pyramids were to expect a resting place for their Pharaohs as they entered the afterlife. The pyramids of Mesoamerica in any case had their dead hide inside just as the Maya had through as mentioned in Book three on page 105. Unlike the old-fashioned Egyptian pyramids, these pyramids are better cognise for serving as altars or bearers of sacrificial offerings. Like the ancientEgyptians, the early civilizations of Mesoamerica were involved in agriculture and their lives depended on how successful the crop is. Because of this, both the Mayans and the Aztecs preformed human sacrifice as part of agricultural renewal. The temples had a yen stair-stepped design that shows their purpose. The stepped design isnt the plainly difference from the pyramids of ancient Egypt, but it was also the function they served in the society. These were temples to gods, and each one had a staircase topped with a temple.The Mesoamerican py ramids were the heart and center of the urban center and community. Its main focus was to serve as religious ceremonies and civic ceremonies unlike the Egyptians which had their pyramids past from the villages. The Pyramid of the Sun in Teotihuacan was designed to correspond certain astronomical events providing a link between the culture and the universe. If you smack at the Pyramid of the Sun compared to the pyramids in Egypt, it is exactly the same size in terms of base as the great pyramid, but its height is roughly fractional the size of the great pyramids.It is actually more similar to the Mesopotamian Ziggurats than the Ancient Egyptians Pyramids. Ziggurats are a lot like the Mesoamerican pyramids, with their stair-stepped require and temple tops. But ziggurats were not places of venerate to the Sumerians, Assyrians, and Babylonians that built them, they were the gods actual homes. In fact, only the priests could enter. And while South American pyramids have long stai rcases, ziggurats have ramps and move. Many ziggurats also had seven tiers, representing the seven known planets or the seven heavens.For the most part, the ziggurats that still subsist can be found principally in Iran and Iraq. Ziggurats and pyramids do greatly differ with function and purpose. As I had stated, Pyramids were purpose to be the final resting places of the pharaohs. Ziggurats, however, were built to signal the gods. Because of this, only special priests were allowed to go inside the ziggurats. Ziggurats also function as a retreat spot for the priest in case of a flood at the ground level. It also is a apprehend temple with dwelling places, storages, and courtyards.Zigguratss have steps and ramps with its sides receding. They pyramids have a long widen of staircases as the Mesoamerican pyramids demonstrated and aerodynamic sides, as the Ancient Egyptian Pyramids showed. The Ziggurats do lack internal chambers unlike the Egyptian Pyramids. The Ziggurats have sev en layers that represent the seven planets of heaven. Studying these ancient structures gives us a chance to take a look at the past. It is amazing how these feats of technology survived this long.Because of this, we are able to look at the civilizations that built them and how they incorporated these structures into their society. For Ancient Egyptians, it was for the decedent pharaohs as they made their journey to the afterlife. For the Mesoamericans, it was for religious purposes and agricultural renewal. And last for the Mesopotamians, it served as a house where the gods lived. These structures were a representation of the integral universe to these people. It is hard to compare with anything that we have now.