120 1 01
Summary
TLDRIn this lecture, the influence of climate and religion on the architecture of ancient Near East civilizations is explored. Babylonia, known for its swamps and floods, developed elevated platforms to avoid miasma and built waterways for irrigation. Assyria, with a similar climate, followed Babylonian architectural styles. In contrast, Persia's dry climate led to open-column halls for ventilation. Religious beliefs also shaped architecture; Babylonians and Assyrians built ziggurats for star-gazing and featured mythical creatures like the lamu, while Persians, with their Zoroastrian faith, had minimal religious influence on their architecture.
Takeaways
- 🌍 The ancient Near East civilizations, particularly Assyria and Babylonia, were significantly influenced by the geography of the Euphrates and Tigris rivers, which were crucial for their establishment and military strategies.
- 🏞️ The climate of Babylonia, characterized by swamps, floods, and unhealthy miasmic exhalations, led to the construction of elevated platforms for towns and palaces to avoid direct contact with the ground.
- 🌾 Assyria, with a similar climate to Babylonia but fewer swamps and less miasma due to its higher elevation, followed Babylonian architectural styles, including the use of waterways for irrigation and city planning.
- 🏛️ Persian architecture was distinct due to the dry, hot climate of the high tableland, which led to the innovation of open column halls with minimal walls, as seen in the palaces at Susa and Persepolis.
- 🔮 The Assyrians and Babylonians were polytheistic, with religious beliefs that included the worship of heavenly bodies, divisions of the universe, and local deities, which influenced their architectural designs, such as the ziggurats for star reading and divination.
- 👼 The Lamassu, a human-headed winged bull from Mesopotamian mythology, was a protective spirit and a common feature in their art and architecture, often placed at entrances as sentinels.
- 🏺 The Shaduf, another protective spirit, was associated with the common Babylonian people and later with royalty, symbolizing protection and often depicted as large sculptures at entrances.
- 🏰 The absence of royal tombs in Assyria and the presence of ziggurats, which were not tombs but platforms for religious and astrological purposes, reflect the cultural and religious practices of the time.
- 🌬️ The ancient religion of Persia, Zoroastrianism, which believed in a cosmic battle between good and evil, had little influence on architecture, resulting in few temple remains and a different architectural focus compared to other civilizations.
- 🏗️ The architectural styles of the ancient Near East civilizations were not only shaped by their climates but also by their religious beliefs and practices, leading to unique and varied architectural expressions.
Q & A
What were the Euphrates and Tigris rivers' significance in ancient Near East civilizations?
-The Euphrates and Tigris rivers were crucial for establishing roots and relations, leading to the founding of empires and kingdoms, and forming military strategies.
Why did the Babylonians build their towns and palaces on elevated platforms?
-The Babylonians built on elevated platforms to avoid the unhealthy miasma and swarms of aggressive, venomous insects that were prevalent in their swampy and flood-prone region.
What was the purpose of the waterways outside the city of Nineveh?
-The waterways outside Nineveh were created by the Assyrian King to provide water for the city's extensive hinterland and to bring water from the river to his palace.
How did the climate of Assyria compare to that of Babylonia, and what was its impact on architecture?
-Assyria had a similar climate to Babylonia, with rain and fewer swamps and less miasma due to its higher ground location. This similarity led the Assyrians to follow the Babylonian architectural style.
What was unique about the climate of Persia, and how did it influence their building techniques?
-Persia had a dry, hot climate on high tablelands, which was in stark contrast to the damp lowlands of Mesopotamia. This led to the innovation of open column halls with many columns and minimal walls.
Why didn't the Assyrians build royal tombs, and what did they construct instead?
-The Assyrians did not believe in an afterlife, so they did not build royal tombs. Instead, they constructed ziggurats for priests to read the stars and interpret the will of the gods.
What is the significance of the lamu in Mesopotamian mythology and architecture?
-The lamu is a celestial being from Mesopotamian mythology, often depicted as a human-headed winged bull, and was considered a protective spirit. It frequently appears in Mesopotamian art and architecture, sometimes with wings and horns.
What were the shadu, and how were they represented in Babylonian culture?
-The shadu were household protective spirits for common Babylonians and later became associated with royal protection. They were often depicted as large sculptures placed at entrances as sentinels or guards.
How did the religion of Persia differ from that of Assyria and Babylonia, and what was its effect on architecture?
-Persian religion, primarily Zoroastrianism, focused on ethical forces representing the battle between good and evil. It did not emphasize temple construction, resulting in little influence of religion on architecture.
What will be discussed in the next video regarding ancient architecture?
-The next video will cover the architectural characteristics of Assyrian, Babylonian, and Persian ancient architecture, exploring the different features influenced by climate and religious beliefs.
Outlines
🌍 Geographical and Climatic Influences on Ancient Near East Civilizations
This paragraph discusses the impact of geography and climate on the ancient civilizations of the Near East, particularly Assyria and Babylonia. The Euphrates and Tigris rivers were crucial for the establishment of these civilizations, influencing their military strategies and the founding of empires and kingdoms. The climate, especially in Babylonia, was characterized by swamps, floods, and unhealthy miasmic exhalations, leading to the construction of elevated platforms for towns and palaces to avoid the miasma and accommodate waterways. Assyria, sharing a similar climate with Babylonia but situated on higher ground, followed a similar architectural style due to their historical connections and conquests. The paragraph also touches on the innovative water management systems, such as the extensive network of canals built by the Assyrian King to supply water to the city of Nineveh.
🏛 Architectural Techniques and Religious Beliefs in Ancient Civilizations
The second paragraph delves into the architectural techniques and religious beliefs of ancient civilizations, contrasting the damp climate of Babylonia with the dry, hot high tableland climate of Persia. In response to their climate, the Persians developed open column halls with minimal walls, which can be seen in the ruins of palaces at Susa and Persepolis. The paragraph also explores the religious influences on architecture, such as the Assyrians' lack of belief in an afterlife, which is reflected in the absence of royal tombs and the construction of ziggurats for astrological purposes. The Babylonians and Assyrians worshipped various deities, with the lamu and shadus being prominent mythological creatures depicted in their art and architecture, serving as protective spirits and symbols of power.
🕌 The Minimal Architectural Influence of Religion in Ancient Persia
The final paragraph contrasts the religious practices of ancient Persia with those of Babylonia and Assyria, highlighting the minimal influence of religion on Persian architecture. Unlike the other civilizations, ancient Persia did not build temples, and their religious beliefs were centered around ethical forces representing the eternal struggle between good and evil. This belief system was incorporated into Zoroastrianism, which dates back to around 2000 BC. The paragraph suggests that the absence of temples and the focus on ethical forces rather than deities resulted in a different architectural landscape in Persia. The lecture concludes with a预告 of the next video, which will discuss the architectural characteristics of Assyrian, Babylonian, and Persian ancient architecture in more detail.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Euphrates and Tigris rivers
💡Climate
💡Elevated platforms
💡Assyria
💡Miasma
💡Persia
💡Ziggurats
💡Lamassu
💡Zoroastrianism
💡Architectural character
Highlights
The importance of the Euphrates and Tigris rivers in establishing roots and relations, leading to the founding of empires and kingdoms.
Babylonia, also known as Chaldea, was a region of swamps and floods, with unhealthy miasma and aggressive insects.
Babylonians built towns and palaces on elevated platforms to avoid miasma and utilized waterways for canals and irrigation.
Assyria, located near the mountains, had a similar climate to Babylonia, leading to similar architectural styles.
Persia had a dry, hot climate, which led to the innovation of open column halls with minimal walls.
The palaces at Susa and Persepolis are examples of Persian architecture, featuring many columns and minimal walls.
Assyrians did not believe in an afterlife, unlike Egyptians, and thus did not construct royal tombs.
Ziggurats were built by the Babylonians and Assyrians for priests to read the stars and interpret the will of the gods.
The Lamassu, a human-headed winged bull, is a celestial being from Mesopotamian mythology, often depicted in their art and architecture.
Shadu, protective spirits in Babylonian culture, were later associated with royal protectors and placed at entrances.
Modern theories suggest connections between the Assyrians' study of stars and alien theories.
Ancient Persian religion, Zoroastrianism, focused on ethical forces representing the battle between good and evil.
Persian architecture was less influenced by religious beliefs, resulting in fewer temple remains.
Upcoming lectures will discuss architectural characteristics and features of Assyrian, Babylonian, and Persian ancient architecture.
Transcripts
[Musika]
Hi class in my previous lecture I
explained the Geographic location and
history of ancient near East
civilizations especially the importance
of the two rivers euphrates and tigres
you remember the map right the the
rivers run through the same course and
um This was They were important the
rivers were important in establishing
roots and relations Uh which also led to
founding of Empires and kingdoms and
they formed military
strategies so in this video I'd like to
discuss the other factors that influence
the way each civilization built their
structure Beginning with the climate and
religion assyria and babylonia happens
to share similarities
because of their historic relations
while we shall see that Persia had a
distinct building technique so let's
look into the influences for such
contrast first
Climate now babylonia is also known as
chia in old books No they are called
chia It was a region of swamps and
floods besides which Torrents of rain
fell for weeks at a time This was
aggravated during the long Summer by
unhealthy mias mic
exhalation and by swarms of aggressive
and venomous insects By the way miasma
myas mic exhalation means may singaw
miasma is a highly unpleasant or
unhealthy smell or vapor so mabaho na
unhealthy pa and it's making people sick
plus the fact that there were insects
there were venomous insects around So
what they did was they built Uh they
built their Towns and palaces on
elevated platforms What were these
platforms for now Uh the platforms of
course were essential so that they'll be
They won't be right you know direct on
the ground and They won't smell the
miasma um aside from that according to
scholars dito sa ilalim ng pl form there
were already waterways and you know
outside the city waterways can be found
at nineve which is said to be built
between
703 and 688 bc it was when the Assyrian
King created a network of canals to
water ninive extensive hinterland and
bring and bring some water also from the
river to his Palace without rival
ayan kasi parang wala akong kaal i am
the This is the most beautiful and
Magnificent Palace so meron pa akong
sarili kong water Resource Parang ganon
so he built those waterways for Uh for
water source and also for the people Uh
in the hinterland now true enough
according to another study no yung
tungkol sa palace without Rivals It's
true because another study that I read
Assyrian water management outside the
core region of Uh Mesopotamia or this
part of nineve was unknown so wala
walang mga waterways masyado the
waterways was also used as irrigation
for
agriculture So um you remember ninive is
on the side of tigris river ' ba So I
hope you remember the map I hope you
have your maps with you too Anyway
um located nearer the mountains naman on
the other hand was assyria No it's
farther from the river mouth than
Babylon assyria um It's near the
mountains and had a similar Climate So
it had a similar Climate Yeah okay
there's summer there's also rain
Although fewer swamps and less miasma
kasi nasa higher ground na sila eh so ah
um Uh Uh Parang ganoon They're on the
higher ground any climatic difference
had little effect on architecture so we
shall see that the assyrians Follow the
babylonian style so in my lectures you
Might Be wondering Bakit wala Iyung
babylonia so it's also div you know the
history na There was a time when the
assyrians conquered Babylon and then for
a certain period also Babylon conquered
assyria hanggang yon um ' ba si si King
nebu cadar and all that Anyway um so yon
ah they had little Uh they had very
similar architecture because of the
climate now Persia Persia had a dry hot
Climate of the high table land ah in
their in their you know High table land
no um dry hot Climate It's so much in
striking contrast to the damp of Uh the
low lying Uh uh what babylonia or the
low lying Plains of Mesopotamia and it
accounts for the innovation of open h
open colum Halls open colum Halls ibig
sabihin mga they had so many columns and
you can imagine that you know there had
they had no walls at least for a big
part of it They did not use colu they
had all columns but almost no walls para
presko no especially this can be
specially seen at the palaces in the
palaces at susa and persepolis yun
ngayon Iyung susa and persepolis are ah
unfortunately parang medyo victims of
War sila so Ah medyo ano they are in
ruins but you can still see the the you
know Uh the evidences of these
cols Okay so pag-uusapan natin ulit yang
mga columns na yan sa architectural um
architectural character
influence but this time we're only
talking about climate so They were colum
the Halls were colum therefore mahangin
yan now influences of beliefs or
religious
influences First of all the assyrians um
had not Uh you know they did not have Uh
belief in a future life or future after
life just like the un you know unlike
The Egyptians for example wala silang
mga tombs mga Royal tombs No they did
not have that so that's one thing and um
Uh also we have already learned about
this They did not have Royal tombs but
but they had Zig rats so the Zig rats
are not tombs rather you already know
this um you know They were erected for
prest to read the stars and They were
polytheistic they the polytheism of
babylonian assyria was various to
express um the Worship of heavenly
bodies Divisions of the universe and
local deities the priest as a as
depositories of child and Wisdom arog
themselves to the power of reading the
stars of divination and interpreting the
Will Of The Gods ah nabasa ko na pala to
and for these astrologer priest the
towering ziggurats were
erected
um a very striking feature of the you
know a part of their belief is the
speical Beast ah maraming iba-iba pero
the lamu is
um is a celestial being from their
mythology mesopotamian mythology So this
is called the lamu it's an Assyrian
human headed Wing bull So it has a human
head and the body of a bull so human
above the waist or you know maybe the
head and The Bull below the waist ah
well this picture shows us differently
just the head no and it's all It also
has wings no and sometimes the lamas who
has horns and the ears of a bull In
other words h ba It's a Creature that
well we cannot understand it appears
frequently in mesopotamian Art and
Architecture sometimes it has wings
sometimes There's no wings the lamu And
shadu there's another one I said no
shadu were household protective Spirits
of the common babylonian people becoming
associated later as royal protectors or
protectors ng mga king and They were
placed as um like sentinels at the
entrances parang mga guard sila doon mga
malalaki yan no I'll show you how big
they are here you can see on the right
side is a man standing Okay can you see
ito Uh and that's how huge those um
those lamu sculptures are no and They
were built like that and then imagine
This is the entrance and you see wow How
big and it makes you feel small talaga
anyway this is part of their mythology
and of course some some
modern theories would say ah baka yung
mga Alien mga Alien theories pero we
hear those things and you know people
keep Uh um researching about this and
ano yung mga connections niya to science
ganon kaya naman nila nasabi yon at kaya
rin nila sabi yyun kasi you know the the
assyrians study the stars so sabi nung
mga Alien ano Uh theories parang baka
related ito doon or something Anyway
let's look at ancient religion of Persia
wala masyado eh They don't have temples
so sabi dito the primitive region of
Persia was a system of ethical
forces that represented good and Evil at
war From the beginning of time it became
incorporated in the religion of
zoroaster as far back as bc 2000 so para
If you remember your high school or
maybe elementary Zoroastrianism is what
they call it um So that's why in Persia
There are no Temple remains and religion
had little influence on
architecture So
um So that's it Uh We will the next
video We will talk about architectural
character and under architectural
character We will see the different
features of Assyrian babylonian and
Persian ancient
architecture Okay bye thank
you ah
[Musika]
[Musika]
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