Differences Between Pyramids And Ziggurat

The images for this topic represent two very different societies with similar social and religious values. They are expressed in similar manners, for similar reasons, but with significant differences as well.
Both of these architectural structures are symbolic of power and wealth within theocratic, polytheistic cultures. They represent the wealth, prestige, and stability of the ruling elite. The general material cost of these monuments was tremendous and only a prosperous ruler would have been able to afford to complete them. This was the message to outsiders as well as the locals: size equals power. Neither of these would have been possible without a very large workforce either. For this reason, construction held a great importance to their

The ziggurat was an urban hub of administration, civics, politics, and public life topped by a religious center; the temple. The Priest Kings, who had divine right of rule through their deities, could commune with the gods in this temple. These Priest Kings were a symbolic bridge between the people and their gods. In contrast, the Egyptian Pharaohs were considered to actually be gods. They were divine beings who inhabited a human form for a period of time before continuing into the afterlife. For this reason, the pyramids were removed from public life, relegated to a necropolis – a city of the dead – where visitation could occur. The purpose of the pyramids was that of protection of the ba that was left behind in order for the ka to visit the living world once it had gone on to the afterlife. Symbolically, the carefully calculated construction of the pyramids represented the Pharaoh’s ability to maintain cosmic order, stability, and to avoid

The ziggurat was an urban hub of administration, civics, politics, and public life topped by a religious center; the temple. The Priest Kings, who had divine right of rule through their deities, could commune with the gods in this temple. These Priest Kings were a symbolic bridge between the people and their gods. In contrast, the Egyptian Pharaohs were considered to actually be gods. They were divine beings who inhabited a human form for a period of time before continuing into the afterlife. For this reason, the pyramids were removed from public life, relegated to a necropolis – a city of the dead – where visitation could occur. The purpose of the pyramids was that of protection of the ba that was left behind in order for the ka to visit the living world once it had gone on to the afterlife. Symbolically, the carefully calculated construction of the pyramids represented the Pharaoh’s ability to maintain cosmic order, stability, and to avoid