Compare And Contrast Mesopotamia And The Great Pyramids

The Ziggurats of Mesopotamia and the Great Pyramids of Egypt are two examples of humanity’s ability to create larger than life monuments, leaving a lasting legacy of their cultures. However, if one studies both of these mysterious monuments and their history, you will find that they contrast in two fundamental ways. The Ziggurats of
Mesopotamia were product Sumerian dedication to the worship of their gods and goddesses; while the Great Pyramids were built as magnificent tombs by the Egyptians, whose culture and religion was centered around the human afterlife and spiritual underworld. Historically, Sumerian culture had a population skilled in metal-working and writing in cuneiform script. These two notable contributions
Sumerian’s preference for cylindrical forms was not reflected in the stepped and stacked geometrical style of the ziggurats. Cut with elaborate stairways and angled ramps, the Sumerians built temples at their apex so it would function as an “offering table” to their deities. Ziggurats also functioned as glorification monuments to the
Sumerian gods for the wealth of the city and its rulers. Sumerians held a high regard for religious ceremony and rituals to both appease and connect with their deities, and their
Ziggurats reflected their dedication to creating a magnificent place to worship.

The Egyptian culture that left behind the Great Pyramids had a very different purpose in mind when erecting the 450 feet tall pyramid of the Egyptian King Khufu. The limestone and granite pyramids reflected Egyptian preference for strong rectilinear lines and block like shapes had humble beginnings as a Mastaba tomb design. A Mastaba was a low rectangular burial structure built to protect a deceased king’s body, provide a place so his followers could worship his memory, and to give his “ka”( life- force) a realm