ziggurat

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Related to Ziggurats: Mesopotamia

zig·gu·rat

(zĭg′ə-răt′)

A temple tower of ancient Mesopotamia, having the form of a terraced pyramid of successively receding stories.

[Akkadian ziqqurratu, temple tower, from zaqāru, to build high; see zqr in Semitic roots.]

ziggurat

(ˈzɪɡʊˌræt) ,

zikkurat

zikurat

(Archaeology) a type of rectangular temple tower or tiered mound erected by the Sumerians, Akkadians, and Babylonians in Mesopotamia. The tower of Babel is thought to be one of these

[C19: from Assyrian ziqqurati summit, height]

zig•gu•rat

(ˈzɪg ʊˌræt)

also zik•ku•rat

(ˈzɪk-)

n.

a brick temple tower built by the Sumerians, Babylonians, and Assyrians, consisting of a number of successively receding stories giving the appearance of a series of terraces.

[1875–80; < Akkadian ziqquratu]

ziggurat

- A tower in the form of a terraced pyramid.

ziggurat

An ancient Assyrian or Babylonian temple in the form of a pyramid with terraced sides tapering toward the top.

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Noun

ziggurat - a rectangular tiered temple or terraced mound erected by the ancient Assyrians and Babylonians

zikkurat, zikurat

temple - an edifice devoted to special or exalted purposes

Translations

zikkurat

ziggourat

ziggurat

[ˈzɪgʊræt] N → zigurat m

ziggurat

n → Zikkur(r)at f

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References in periodicals archive ?

Twin Cities of Sin" said the catch line on a somewhat lurid depiction of the action complete with collapsing ziggurats.

Golden days of the silver screen

2008) has recently disputed the claim that the Gudea cylinder is describing a ziggurat, and in any case, early ziggurats such as that of Ur-Nammu had three stages rather than seven (corresponding to the original three heavens).

Studien zu Ritual und Sozialgeschichte im Alten Orient

In this book on ancient Near Eastern and Egyptian mathematics, Rudman (physics, Technion Institute, Haifa, emeritus)explores the ways in which ancient mathematicians worked out mathematical solutions to practical problems, like building pyramids and ziggurats, or tracing the square root of two apparently just for fun.

The Babylonian theorem; the mathematical journey to Pythagoras and Euclid

Tchogha Zanbil is one of the few standing ziggurats remaining outside Mesopotamia.

Excavation begins at Tchogha Zanbil

The Aztecs, who once had an empire in Central America, chose their king for a period of seven years at the end of which they would dress him in the best of his regal fineries, throw a huge feast in his honour, and then march him up one of those Mexican ziggurats and throw him down to his death.

Now Bush will have to face American ziggurat

All humans set sail on a luxury cruise aboard a colossal spaceship, leaving Earth temporarily to a race of trash-compactor automatons ("Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-class") programmed to build towering ziggurats out of cubes of compressed junk.

When humans wasted away

They built massive multi-storied ziggurats and constructed canal systems to irrigate their land and control floods.

From Helen Prochazka's scrapbook

There came a time in many past societies when prodigious amounts of labour were directed into great tasks of construction, and few parts of the world are without mounds, pyramids, ziggurats or other substantial earthworks of some kind.

The world recreated: redating Silbury Hill in its monumental landscape

The Manhattan skyline is an ever evolving panorama reflective of various architectural theories and cultural preoccupations of the past century including beaux art beauties, art deco ziggurats and abstract glass towers.

A greener point of view

Kiln-fired bricks were invented by the Mesopotamians to create the complex towering ziggurats of the Sumerian and Babylonian empires.

Earthly powers: building with earth-based materials was one of the very first human pursuits, but like all materials, the architectural evolution of stone, brick and concrete continues to be shaped by changing technological, economic and social factors, which now include pressing issues of sustainability

These seven-and eight-story structures, called ziggurats, were constructed with baked mud-bricks and dominated the skyline.

Life in Mesapotomia: what was life like in the world's first cities?

Traces the construction of massive projects, from Sumerian Ziggurats to Brasilia.