Sumerian Architecture
What is ancient Mesopotamia?
Ancient Mesopotamia was an ancient religion in the southwestern side of Asia. It is beside the eastern Mediterranean sea, as of today, it is known as Iraq.
Ancient Mesopotamia isn't a civilization. It was the name of a place where a few civilizations were gathered together. Civilizations such as the Sumerians were living there. Leading cities in Sumer were Ur, Uruk, Lagash, and Nippur all gathered around the Persian Gulf.
Housing for normal civilization
The Sumerian civilization was one of the first civilizations to exist
The Sumerians settled in between 4500 to 4000 B.C, through there were obviously more humans who settled earlier.
Buildings for the gods and rulers
Furniture for the houses
History.com Editors. “Sumer.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 7 Dec. 2017, www.history.com/topics/ancient-middle-east/sumer.
How did the Sumerians build large architecture?
“Access Britannica School.” Britannica School, school.eb.co.uk/levels/intermediate/article/architecture/272939#196588.toc.
The Sumerians built small brick houses and it was supposed to be for the gods to visit every once in a while. These buildings were built by Sumerians from the earlier people in the valley.
Like any other civilization, the Sumerians started building large temples and structures around 3500 BC. They didn't have a lot of stone blocks around but they had clay. They used mud clay and fired the clays to mold them.
Carr, Karen, et al. “Sumerian Architecture - Mesopotamia.” Quatr.us Study Guides, 5 Sept. 2019, quatr.us/west-asia/sumerian-architecture-mesopotamia.htm.
Palaces in Sumer were built from mud and clay as well.
These buildings weren't just for rulers. A lot of meeting rooms and court houses were built in as well.
The ruler’s family, government officials, and even slaves lived in these palaces as well.
By the start of the third millenium, most cities in Sumer started to cover up several square miles and supported a population in the tens of thousands.
Nardo, Don. Ancient Architecture. Lucent Books, an Imprint of Gale Cengage Learning, 2012.
Ziggurats
One ziggurat of Ur is 61m long, 45m wide, and 21m high.
Ziggurats often had one or more large passageways built for gods, priests, and kings ascended.
Ziggurats had interior passage-ways and chambers.
Sumerians built giant pyramid-like structures called ziggurats.
Palaces in Sumer were built from mud and clay as well because Sumer had a few deposits of natural stone.
Cities such as Ur used clay and straw or sand which gave some added strength into their bricks.
Ordinary civilians weren't able to live in a large and beautiful palace so they lived in reed huts or in normal Sumerian housing.
People who lived in reed huts had to sleep and sit on the floor or on woven reed mats. Villagers built a fire pit in the middle of the hut to cook their food.
Sumerian houses were made out of mud bricks. Families had to share the houses so one family had one room. All the families used the courtyard to cook and wash together. Some people even kept donkey and sheep in one room.
Families who had enough income built a mud house at-least 3 storeys high. The first floor was for the entryway and the courtyard. The second and third floor was for sleeping and relaxing with storage rooms to store food. The Sumerians treated