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The Sumerian Ziggurat |
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The Sumerian Ziggurat |
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Today only the foundations of most of these ziggurats have survived but the few remaining examples indicate that early Sumerians made the most of an unattractive building material. Note the buttresses (or the in and out movement) of the walls; these variations in depth catch light and shadow and add variety to an otherwise monotonous wall. Not only do these structures indicate a kind of aesthetic sense, but they are also oriented to the points of the compass, indicating a rudimentary kind of scientific knowledge.
Actual photograph.
Artist's reconstruction.
All images marked MAS were photographed on location by Mary Ann Sullivan. All other images were scanned from other sources or downloaded from the World Wide Web; they are posted on this password-protected site for educational purposes, at Bluffton College only, under the "fair use" clause of U.S. copyright law.