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Ziggurats, Pyramids, Temples & Palaces

Introduction

Ancient Egyptian Creation Myths tell us that when the first mound of earth emerged from the waters of chaos, the sun god was born on this patch of dry land. The Egyptians may have believed that the Pyramid shape represented the primordial mound of creation called a Benben (Mertz, 18). Thus, the pyramid, designed to hold the mummy of the dead king, is a reminder and celebration of the creation of life.

Architecturally, the pyramid shape evolved from the first mound of sand heaped over a Predynastic burial (Hyman, 39). Then a mud brick structure was created to mark the burial of early dynastic kings. As mastaba was stacked upon mastaba, the Step Pyramid of Zoser arose at Saqqara. Royal architects experimented and filled in the sides of a stepped pyramid, creating the first true pyramid (Gadalla, 24). The golden age of pyramid building was the Fourth Dynasty, with the building on the Giza Plateau of the Great Pyramid, the Pyramid of Khephren, and the Pyramid of Mycerinus (Gadalla, 36).

Ziggurats

During the Old Kingdom, Egyptians promoted regional commercial networks, which included Arabia, Nubia, Lebanon, and Syria. Some of these networks also benefited from maritime trade, and Egyptian records provide the first written testimony of this form of commerce (Gahlin, 49). The durability of the pyramids is in great measure due to the natural resources of Egypt. The land of the Nile is rich in limestone, a stone ideal for quarrying and construction. Such, we know, was not the case in Mesopotamia, especially in the south. Ziggurats had to be made from brick and brick is not as millennially lasting as stone (Wilkinson, 69). Hence most of Iraq's ancient ziggurats have dissolved into its landscape while the pyramids still tower above Egypt's desert.

Compare and Contrast

Egyptian, Aegean & Greek societies are divided into different social classes, each of them having distinct roles and responsibilities. The pharaoh was the head of the social hierarchy and was surrounded by nobles and priests who owned almost all the usable land (Gadalla, 61). Scribes also represented an important and respected upper class. Peasants had the task of ensuring efficient irrigation and prosperous crops, while slaves, who were mostly foreigners and prisoners of war, were at the bottom of the social ladder. Gender roles were more flexible in Egypt than in other contemporary societies, and women had more rights (Hyman, 71). For example, they could inherit and administer properties as well as summon others to court and initiate divorce. Class rather than gender seems to be the main source of difference among Egyptians. Although most women were still confined to the domestic sphere, there were important exceptions, and some women held important social roles and positions. At least four pharaohs were women.

Although most Egyptian cities were primarily administrative rather than commercial centers, ancient Egyptians developed extensive trade networks. They entered into commercial contacts with distant areas such as sub-Saharan Africa, Mesopotamia, and southeastern Europe (Mertz, 41). Within ancient Egypt, the standard barter good ...