{"id":1515,"date":"2017-07-01T15:28:07","date_gmt":"2017-07-01T15:28:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-ncc-zeliart\/?post_type=chapter&p=1515"},"modified":"2018-07-02T00:36:31","modified_gmt":"2018-07-02T00:36:31","slug":"white-temple-and-ziggurat-uruk","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-ncc-zeliart\/chapter\/white-temple-and-ziggurat-uruk\/","title":{"raw":"White Temple and ziggurat, Uruk","rendered":"White Temple and ziggurat, Uruk"},"content":{"raw":"
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Visible from a great distance<\/h2>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n
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Archaeological site at Uruk (modern Warka) in Iraq (photo:\u00a0SAC Andy Holmes<\/a>\u00a0(RAF)\/MOD, Open Government Licence v1.0)<\/h4>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n
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Uruk\u00a0(modern Warka in Iraq)\u2014where city life began\u00a0more than five thousand years ago and\u00a0where the first writing emerged\u2014was clearly one of the most important places in southern Mesopotamia. Within Uruk, the greatest monument was the Anu Ziggurat on which the White Temple was built. Dating to the late 4th millennium B.C.E.\u00a0(the Late Uruk Period, or Uruk III) and dedicated to the sky god Anu, this temple would have towered well above (approximately\u00a040 feet) the flat plain of Uruk, and been visible from a great distance\u2014even over the defensive walls of the city.<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n
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Digital reconstruction of the White Temple and ziggurat, Uruk (modern Warka), c.\u00a03517-3358 B.C.E. \u00a9\u00a0artefacts-berlin.de<\/a>; scientific material: German Archaeological Institute<\/h4>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n
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Ziggurats<\/h3>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n
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A ziggurat is a built raised platform with four sloping sides\u2014like a chopped-off pyramid. Ziggurats are made of mud-bricks\u2014the building material of choice in the Near East, as stone is rare. Ziggurats were not only a visual focal point of the city, they\u00a0were a symbolic one, as well\u2014they were at the heart of the theocratic political system (a theocracy is a type of government where a god is recognized as the ruler, and the state officials operate on the god\u2019s behalf). So, seeing the ziggurat\u00a0towering above the city, one made a\u00a0visual connection to the god or goddess honored there, but also recognized that\u00a0deity's\u00a0political authority.<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n
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Remains of the Anu Ziggurat, Uruk (modern Warka), c. 3517-3358 B.C.E. (photo:\u00a0Geoff Emberling<\/a>, by permission)<\/h4>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\nExcavators of the White Temple estimate that it would have taken 1500 laborers working on average ten hours per day for about five years to build the last major revetment (stone facing) of its massive underlying terrace (the open areas surrounding the White Temple at the top of the ziggurat). Although religious belief may have inspired participation in such a project, no doubt some sort of force (corv\u00e9e<\/em>\u00a0labor\u2014unpaid labor coerced by the state\/slavery) was involved as well.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n
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The sides of the ziggurat were very broad and sloping but broken up by recessed stripes or bands from top to bottom (see digital reconstruction, above), which would have made a stunning pattern in morning or afternoon sunlight. The only way up to the top of the ziggurat was via a steep stairway that led to a ramp that wrapped around the north end of the Ziggurat and brought one to the temple entrance. The flat top of the ziggurat was coated with bitumen (asphalt\u2014a tar or pitch-like material similar to what is used for road\u00a0paving) and overlaid with brick, for a firm and waterproof foundation for the White temple. The temple gets its name for the fact that it was entirely white washed inside and out, which would have given it a dazzling brightness in strong sunlight.<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n
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Digital reconstruction of the two-story version of the White Temple, Uruk (modern Warka), c, 3517-3358 B.C.E. \u00a9\u00a0artefacts-berlin.de<\/a>; scientific material: German Archaeological Institute<\/h4>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n
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The White Temple<\/h3>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n
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The White temple was rectangular, measuring 17.5 x 22.3 meters and, at its corners, oriented to the cardinal points. It is a typical Uruk \u201chigh temple (Hochtempel<\/em>)\u201d type with a tri-partite plan: a long rectangular central hall with rooms on either side (plan<\/a>). The White Temple had three entrances, none of which faced the ziggurat ramp directly.\u00a0Visitors would have needed to walk around the temple, appreciating its bright fa\u00e7ade and the powerful view, and likely gained access to the interior in a \u201cbent axis\u201d approach (where one would have to turn 90 degrees to face\u00a0the altar), a typical arrangement for Ancient Near Eastern temples.<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n
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Section through the central hall of the \"White Temple,\" digital reconstruction of the interior of the two-story version\u00a0White Temple, Uruk (modern Warka), c, 3517-3358 B.C.E. \u00a9\u00a0artefacts-berlin.de<\/a>; scientific material: German Archaeological Institute<\/h4>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n
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The north west and east corner chambers of the building contained staircases (unfinished in the case of the one at the north end). Chambers in the middle of the northeast room suite appear to have been equipped with wooden shelves in the walls and displayed cavities for setting in pivot stones which might imply a solid door was fitted in these spaces. The north end of the central hall had a podium accessible by means of a small staircase and\u00a0an altar with a fire-stained surface. Very few objects were found inside the White Temple, although what has been found is very interesting. Archaeologists uncovered\u00a0some 19 tablets of gypsum on the floor of the temple\u2014all of which had cylinder seal impressions and reflected temple accounting. Also,\u00a0archaeologists uncovered\u00a0a foundation deposit of the bones of a leopard and a lion\u00a0in the eastern corner of the Temple (foundation deposits, ritually buried objects and bones, are not uncommon in ancient architecture).<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n
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Interior view of the two-story version of the \"White Temple,\" Digital reconstruction of the White Temple, Uruk (modern Warka), c, 3517-3358 B.C.E. \u00a9\u00a0artefacts-berlin.de<\/a>; scientific material: German Archaeological Institute<\/h4>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n
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To the north of\u00a0the White Temple\u00a0there was a broad flat terrace, at the center of which archaeologists found a huge pit with traces of\u00a0fire\u00a0(2.2 x 2.7m) and a loop cut from a massive boulder. Most interestingly,\u00a0a system of shallow bitumen-coated conduits were discovered. These ran from\u00a0the southeast and southwest of the terrace edges and entered the temple through the southeast and southwest doors. Archaeologists conjecture that liquids would have flowed from the terrace to collect in a pit in the center hall\u00a0of the temple.<\/div>\r\n
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Essay by Dr. Senta German<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>","rendered":"
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Visible from a great distance<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Archaeological site at Uruk (modern Warka) in Iraq (photo:\u00a0SAC Andy Holmes<\/a>\u00a0(RAF)\/MOD, Open Government Licence v1.0)<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Uruk\u00a0(modern Warka in Iraq)\u2014where city life began\u00a0more than five thousand years ago and\u00a0where the first writing emerged\u2014was clearly one of the most important places in southern Mesopotamia. Within Uruk, the greatest monument was the Anu Ziggurat on which the White Temple was built. Dating to the late 4th millennium B.C.E.\u00a0(the Late Uruk Period, or Uruk III) and dedicated to the sky god Anu, this temple would have towered well above (approximately\u00a040 feet) the flat plain of Uruk, and been visible from a great distance\u2014even over the defensive walls of the city.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Digital reconstruction of the White Temple and ziggurat, Uruk (modern Warka), c.\u00a03517-3358 B.C.E. \u00a9\u00a0artefacts-berlin.de<\/a>; scientific material: German Archaeological Institute<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Ziggurats<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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A ziggurat is a built raised platform with four sloping sides\u2014like a chopped-off pyramid. Ziggurats are made of mud-bricks\u2014the building material of choice in the Near East, as stone is rare. Ziggurats were not only a visual focal point of the city, they\u00a0were a symbolic one, as well\u2014they were at the heart of the theocratic political system (a theocracy is a type of government where a god is recognized as the ruler, and the state officials operate on the god\u2019s behalf). So, seeing the ziggurat\u00a0towering above the city, one made a\u00a0visual connection to the god or goddess honored there, but also recognized that\u00a0deity’s\u00a0political authority.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Remains of the Anu Ziggurat, Uruk (modern Warka), c. 3517-3358 B.C.E. (photo:\u00a0Geoff Emberling<\/a>, by permission)<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Excavators of the White Temple estimate that it would have taken 1500 laborers working on average ten hours per day for about five years to build the last major revetment (stone facing) of its massive underlying terrace (the open areas surrounding the White Temple at the top of the ziggurat). Although religious belief may have inspired participation in such a project, no doubt some sort of force (corv\u00e9e<\/em>\u00a0labor\u2014unpaid labor coerced by the state\/slavery) was involved as well.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The sides of the ziggurat were very broad and sloping but broken up by recessed stripes or bands from top to bottom (see digital reconstruction, above), which would have made a stunning pattern in morning or afternoon sunlight. The only way up to the top of the ziggurat was via a steep stairway that led to a ramp that wrapped around the north end of the Ziggurat and brought one to the temple entrance. The flat top of the ziggurat was coated with bitumen (asphalt\u2014a tar or pitch-like material similar to what is used for road\u00a0paving) and overlaid with brick, for a firm and waterproof foundation for the White temple. The temple gets its name for the fact that it was entirely white washed inside and out, which would have given it a dazzling brightness in strong sunlight.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Digital reconstruction of the two-story version of the White Temple, Uruk (modern Warka), c, 3517-3358 B.C.E. \u00a9\u00a0artefacts-berlin.de<\/a>; scientific material: German Archaeological Institute<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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The White Temple<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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The White temple was rectangular, measuring 17.5 x 22.3 meters and, at its corners, oriented to the cardinal points. It is a typical Uruk \u201chigh temple (Hochtempel<\/em>)\u201d type with a tri-partite plan: a long rectangular central hall with rooms on either side (plan<\/a>). The White Temple had three entrances, none of which faced the ziggurat ramp directly.\u00a0Visitors would have needed to walk around the temple, appreciating its bright fa\u00e7ade and the powerful view, and likely gained access to the interior in a \u201cbent axis\u201d approach (where one would have to turn 90 degrees to face\u00a0the altar), a typical arrangement for Ancient Near Eastern temples.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Section through the central hall of the “White Temple,” digital reconstruction of the interior of the two-story version\u00a0White Temple, Uruk (modern Warka), c, 3517-3358 B.C.E. \u00a9\u00a0artefacts-berlin.de<\/a>; scientific material: German Archaeological Institute<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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The north west and east corner chambers of the building contained staircases (unfinished in the case of the one at the north end). Chambers in the middle of the northeast room suite appear to have been equipped with wooden shelves in the walls and displayed cavities for setting in pivot stones which might imply a solid door was fitted in these spaces. The north end of the central hall had a podium accessible by means of a small staircase and\u00a0an altar with a fire-stained surface. Very few objects were found inside the White Temple, although what has been found is very interesting. Archaeologists uncovered\u00a0some 19 tablets of gypsum on the floor of the temple\u2014all of which had cylinder seal impressions and reflected temple accounting. Also,\u00a0archaeologists uncovered\u00a0a foundation deposit of the bones of a leopard and a lion\u00a0in the eastern corner of the Temple (foundation deposits, ritually buried objects and bones, are not uncommon in ancient architecture).<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Interior view of the two-story version of the “White Temple,” Digital reconstruction of the White Temple, Uruk (modern Warka), c, 3517-3358 B.C.E. \u00a9\u00a0artefacts-berlin.de<\/a>; scientific material: German Archaeological Institute<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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To the north of\u00a0the White Temple\u00a0there was a broad flat terrace, at the center of which archaeologists found a huge pit with traces of\u00a0fire\u00a0(2.2 x 2.7m) and a loop cut from a massive boulder. Most interestingly,\u00a0a system of shallow bitumen-coated conduits were discovered. These ran from\u00a0the southeast and southwest of the terrace edges and entered the temple through the southeast and southwest doors. Archaeologists conjecture that liquids would have flowed from the terrace to collect in a pit in the center hall\u00a0of the temple.<\/div>\n
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Essay by Dr. Senta German<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t
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Candela Citations<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t
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CC licensed content, Shared previously<\/div>