Ziggurat: Mountains of the Gods

"The ziggurat was an artificial mountain raised for the worship of the gods to elevate the priests toward heaven. The people of the Ubaid period (circa 6500-4000 BCE) are thought to have come down from the mountains to the plains of Mesopotamia and influenced the Sumerians (or were Sumerians), the first to build ziggurats as religious sites mirroring sacred high places."

"The structure was known as unir in Sumerian and as ziggurratum (or ziggurartu) in Akkadian, both meaning "peak," "pinnacle," or "high place," and served as a platform on which priests would perform rituals in view of the people far below. During the Sumerian Uruk period (circa 4000-3100 BCE), ziggurats were raised in every city in honor of that community's patron deity."

"The most famous ziggurat in history is the Tower of Babel - associated with the great ziggurat of Babylon known as Etemenanki - "the foundation of heaven and earth" - made famous from the story in the Bible (Genesis 11:1-9). The best-preserved ziggurat extant is the Ziggurat of Ur, begun under the reign of Ur-Nammu (2112-2094 BCE) and completed under the reign of his son and successor Shulgi of Ur (2094-2046 BCE)."

Ziggurats are stepped rectangular monumental structures originating in ancient Mesopotamia that supported temples on flat summit platforms. They functioned as artificial mountains built for worship and to elevate priests toward heaven. Early influences trace to the Ubaid period, with Sumerians credited as the first regular builders of ziggurats. The Sumerian and Akkadian terms mean "peak," "pinnacle," or "high place." Ziggurats served as the earthly homes of city gods attended by priests rather than public worship spaces. Construction continued through the Early Dynastic era and was adopted by Akkadian, Babylonian, and later regional civilizations.

Read at World History Encyclopedia