Amit Singh

Akhil Thakur
Nitin Bhatnagar
 At the beginning of 19th century B.C. Amorites a nomadic tribe from Syrian
desert founded their first Dynasty in Babylon –’gateway of the God’, ‘bab’
meaning ‘gate’ and ‘ili’ of the god. The city was destroyed by the Assyrian
once in 13th century B.C. and another in 7th century B.C. But the governor
Nabopolassar defeated them in B.C. His son Nebuchadnezzar mounted the
throne in B.C. and the city once again re-emerged as the queen of the
civilization world. The city was surrounded by a canal acting as a moat. It was
also protected by huge rampart walls which were more than 86 km. in length
, and provided with hundred bronze gateways.
Art and architecture
In Babylonia, an abundance of clay, and lack of stone, led to greater use
of mudbrick; Babylonian temples were massive structures of crude brick,
supported by buttresses, the rain being carried off by drains. One such
drain at Ur was made of lead. The use of brick led to the early
development of the pilaster and column, and of frescoes and enameled
tiles. The walls were brilliantly coloured, and sometimes plated with zinc
or gold, as well as with tiles. Painted terra-cotta cones for torches were
also embedded in the plaster. In Babylonia, in place of the bas-relief,
there was greater use of three-dimensional figures—the earliest
examples being the Statues of Gudea, that are realistic if somewhat
clumsy. The paucity of stone in Babylonia made every pebble precious,
and led to a high perfection in the art of gem-cutting.
Architecture of Mesopotamia
The beginnings of monumental architecture in Mesopotamia are usually
considered to have been contemporary with the founding of the Sumerian cities
and the invention of writing, about 3100 bce. Conscious attempts at
architectural design during this so-called Protoliterate are recognizable in the
construction of religious buildings. There is, however, one temple, at Abū
Shahrayn (ancient Eridu), that is no more than a final rebuilding of a shrine the
original foundation of which dates back to the beginning of the 4th millennium
 The materials used to build a
Mesopotamian house were the same as
those used today: mud brick, mud
plaster and wooden doors, which were
all naturally available around the city,
although wood could not be naturally
made very well during the particular
time period described. Most houses had a
square center room with other rooms
attached to it, but a great variation in
the size and materials used to build the
houses suggest they were built by the
inhabitants themselves. The smallest
rooms may not have coincided with the
poorest people; in fact, it could be that
the poorest people built houses out of
perishable materials such as reeds on the
outside of the city, but there is very
little direct evidence for this.
 Temples
 Temples often predated the creation of the urban settlement and grew from
small one room structures to elaborate multiacre complexes across the 2,500
years of Sumerian history . Sumerian temples, fortifications, and palaces
made use of more advanced materials and techniques, such as buttresses,
recesses, and half columns.
 The doors of the long axis were the entry point for the gods, and the doors of
the short axis the entry point for men. This configuration was called the bent
axis approach, as anyone entering would make a ninety degree turn to face
the cult statue at the end of the central hall. The bent axis approach is an
innovation from the Ubaid temples which had a linear axis approach, and is
also a feature of Sumerian houses. An offering table was located in the center
of the temple at the intersection of the axes.
 Ziggurats
 Ziggurats were huge pyramidal temple towers built in the ancient
Mesopotamian valley and western Iranian plateau, having the form of a
terraced step pyramid of successively receding stories or levels. There are 32
ziggurats known at, or near, Mesopotamia—28 in Iraq and 4 in Iran. Notable
ziggurats include the Great Ziggurat of Ur near Nasiriyah, Iraq, the Ziggurat of
Aqar Quf near Baghdad, Iraq, Chogha Zanbil in Khūzestān.
 The Great Ziggurat of Ur
 The Great Ziggurat of Ur was dedicated to the moon god Nanna, who was the
patron deity of the city.
The Great Ziggurat, which is today located in the Dhi Qar Province, in the south of
Iraq, is a massive step pyramid measuring 64 m in length, 46 m in width, and 30 m in
height. This height, however, is just speculation, as only the foundations of this
ancient monument survive today. The Great Ziggurat of Ur consisted of successively
smaller platforms that had a solid core of mud-brick which was covered by burnt
brick. This outer layer protected the core from the elements. The construction of the
Great Ziggurat of Ur began under King Ur-Nammu of the Third Dynasty of Ur (about
the 21st century B.C.), and was completed by his son, King Shulgi. The Great Ziggurat
of Ur was located in the temple complex of the city state, which was the
administrative heart of Ur.
The Ishtar Gate was the eighth gate to the inner city of Babylon. It
was constructed in about 575 BC by order of King Nebuchadnezzar II
on the north side of the city. It was excavated in the early 20th
century and a reconstruction using original bricks is now shown in
the Pergamon Museum, Berlin.
 Dedicated to the Babylonian goddess Ishtar, the gate was
constructed using glazed brick with alternating rows of
bas-relief mušḫuššu (dragons) and aurochs.
 The roof and doors of the gate were of cedar, according to
the dedication plaque. Through the gate ran the
Processional Way, which was lined with walls covered in
lions on glazed bricks (about 120 of them). Ishtar Gate
depicts only gods and goddesses which include Ishtar Adad
and Marduk. Statues of the deities were paraded through
the gate and down the Processional Way each year during
the New Year's celebration.
 Originally the gate, being part of the Walls of Babylon,
was considered one of the Seven Wonders of the world
until it was replaced by the Lighthouse of Alexandria; in
the 3rd century BC.
 The Hanging Gardens of Babylon were one of the Seven Wonders of the
Ancient World, and the only one whose location has not been definitely
established.
 Traditionally they were said to have been built in the ancient city of Babylon,
near present-day Hillah, Babil province, in Iraq.
 There are no extant Babylonian texts which mention the gardens, and no
definitive archaeological evidence has been found in Babylon.
 The garden is quadrangular in shape, and each side is four plethra in length.
 Hanging Gardens have plants above ground, and are cultivated in the air, with
the roots of the trees above the (normal) tilled earth, forming a roof. Four
stone columns are set beneath, so that the entire space through the carved
pillars is beneath the (artificial) ground. Palm trees lie in place on top of the
pillars, alongside each other as (cross-) beams, leaving very little space in
between. This timber does not rot, unlike others; when it is soaked and put
under pressure it swells up and nourishes the growth from roots, since it
incorporates into its own interstices what is planted with it from outside.
Much deep soil is piled on, and then broad-leaved and especially garden trees
of many varieties are planted.
Yale Babylonian Collection
 Comprising some 45,000 items, the Yale Babylonian Collection is an
independent branch of the Yale University Library housed on the Yale
University campus.
In the heart of the city, there stood the Babylon’s Ziggurat the famous Tower of Babel
Built hundred years before the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, which soared more than 90 m. Above
the surrounded countryside. Its plan at the base was square of 90 m. Sides and had seven storeys crowned
With a temple or a sacred house dedicated to God Marduk. The Temple was enriched with blue glazed tiles.
Its monumental triple stair-ways were the gateways to heaven. Over the centuries it was destroyed, then re-buil
and destroyed again. The last restoration was carried by Nebopolassar and was finished by his son Nebuchadnezz
He ordered the architects to “raise the top of the Tower to such a height that it might rival heaven”. Alexander
Great after occupying the city in 331 B.C. Planned to rebuild it as a monument to his own conquests. But the wo
was left after learning that it would required 10,000 men two months just to clear the debries.