HATSHEPSUT
Ancient Mesopotamia Architecture I
2013-12-05
Mesopotamia
2013-12-05
General Introduction
from the Greek Μεσοποταμία, mesos, meaning 'middle', and potamos, meaning
'river' to translate into 'between two rivers’
It is the plains of the Tigris and Euphrates which called now Iraq
Irrigated by numerous canals between the two rivers and was highly cultivated
2013-12-05
The geography includes:
Broad and generally level land
Syrian desert to the west Mountains of western
Turkey to the north
The Zagoras mountains to the east
The region was repeatedly invaded by hostile groups from the North and East
The flow of the two rivers was never predictable with droughts followed by damaging floods
2013-12-05
Abundant rains during several weeks in winter
There is a long summer of six months with hot, humid weather that is occasionally relieved by a mild wind from the northeast Zagoras Mountains
The unhealthy exaltations from the vast swamps with many insects led to the construction of elevated platforms for the towns and palaces
2013-12-05
The whole district is alluvial, formed of thick mud or clay deposited by the two rivers
The soil contained no stone and carried no trees
Mud was the usual building material, being manipulated into bricks
The general walls were constructed of ordinary sun-dried bricks
“kiln-burnt” and sometimes glazed bricks of different colors was used as facing
In Assyria, where stone was not scarce, the walls were also faced, internally and externally, with alabaster or limestone slabs, on which were carved bas-reliefs or inscriptions
2013-12-05
The march of civilization grew northbound starting from the extreme south of the region called Sumer towards Babylon and Assyria.
Bronze Age Mesopotamia included Sumer and the Acadian,
Babylonian and Assyrian empires
2013-12-05
Mesopotamia
2013-12-05
General Introduction
from the Greek Μεσοποταμία, mesos, meaning 'middle', and potamos, meaning
'river' to translate into 'between two rivers’
It is the plains of the Tigris and Euphrates which called now Iraq
Irrigated by numerous canals between the two rivers and was highly cultivated
2013-12-05
The geography includes:
Broad and generally level land
Syrian desert to the west Mountains of western
Turkey to the north
The Zagoras mountains to the east
The region was repeatedly invaded by hostile groups from the North and East
The flow of the two rivers was never predictable with droughts followed by damaging floods
2013-12-05
Abundant rains during several weeks in winter
There is a long summer of six months with hot, humid weather that is occasionally relieved by a mild wind from the northeast Zagoras Mountains
The unhealthy exaltations from the vast swamps with many insects led to the construction of elevated platforms for the towns and palaces
2013-12-05
The whole district is alluvial, formed of thick mud or clay deposited by the two rivers
The soil contained no stone and carried no trees
Mud was the usual building material, being manipulated into bricks
The general walls were constructed of ordinary sun-dried bricks
“kiln-burnt” and sometimes glazed bricks of different colors was used as facing
In Assyria, where stone was not scarce, the walls were also faced, internally and externally, with alabaster or limestone slabs, on which were carved bas-reliefs or inscriptions
2013-12-05
The march of civilization grew northbound starting from the extreme south of the region called Sumer towards Babylon and Assyria.
Bronze Age Mesopotamia included Sumer and the Acadian,
Babylonian and Assyrian empires