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Comparing White Temple And The Stepped Pyramid

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The White Temple, Uruk (Iraq) c.3200B.C.E. and the Stepped Pyramid of Djoser c.2630B.C.E. have similar structures and functions, so it is interesting to compare them since they come from different civilizations. This paper is going to focus on how are the structures of these two buildings similar, what architectural features distinguish them, and how were the structural differences related to the function of the buildings. Anyone can easily compare the White Temple and the Stepped Pyramid from far away by looking at the structure. However, to compare the materials they are made of, the inside structure, and the purpose behind building them you need to study their history in detail. According to Kleiner the White Temple is considered to be the earliest surviving ziggurat (large building), and the Stepped Pyramid is considered to be the earliest large-scale stone construction, size was important to them because the bigger the construction was the more powerful they were. Both the White Temple and the Stepped Pyramid have stepped pyramidal structure, the religious function behind it is believed to be used to reach god. the White Temple has whitewashed walls, and the Stepped Pyramid also has a polished white limestone wall, as you can see they are similar in many ways. …show more content…

The White Temple is built on top of a ziggurat, 40 feet high, and it was dedicated to the sky god, Anu. The temple was built out of mud bricks because they did not have the access to the stone quarries. The ziggurat stairs were used to reach only the top and not directly to the doorways of the temple. Nevertheless, the temple had a central hall, were they wait in it because they believed that god will come down from the sky before the priests. The temple had both secular and religious functions, it was a house for the gods and had a political message that shows how powerful the gods

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