Kevin Carrillo
ARCH 1121 History of Architecture Technology
Prof. Robert Zagaroli
Writing Assignment #2 (choose 2 monuments from Mesopotamia & Egypt)
Ziggurat at Ur, Mesopotamia
- Temple
- elevated for closer connection with gods
- elevation also prevented temple from flood waters
- sun dried brick core, kiln-fired brick and bitumen overlay for weather protection
Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, Egypt
- Mortuary temple
- thwart thieves, conceal body in tombs directly in the cliffs
- temple was different compared to traditional Egyptian Architecture
- colonnaded limestone terrace and sloped ramps in the mountain
Although the Ziggurat at Ur and the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut were built during different time periods, both monuments are similar in a way. Apart from being temples, both monuments stood out from the rest in their respective period. The ziggurat was a massive structure that allowed temples to be built on top in order to be closer with the gods in the heavens. The Temple of Queen Hatshepsut was different compared to the traditional Egyptian pyramids to prevent thieves from stealing sacred tombs. Both monuments were also very sacred as a place to honor gods. In addition, both used adequate materials in order to prevent weathering and this can be seen today in the remains that still exist. In contrast, the ziggurat was primarily used for religious purposes whereas the Egyptian Temple was used as a burial site. The ziggurat also provided a view over the ancient Mesopotamian cities meanwhile the mortuary temple was constructed directly into the mountain. Another difference between these structures was the material used. In the older Mesopotamian times, the architects had to work with the knowledge they had which was by using sun dried brick and kiln and as time went by there was an advance in construction methods. This can be seen in the Egyptian construction were structures were built using modern materials such as limestone.
The evolution of construction methods from Mesopotamia to Ancient Egypt. (topic sentence)
