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Magazine article
In ancient Mesopotamia, what was a ziggurat?
The Conversation
27/01/2026
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Abstract
A ziggurat (also spelled ziqqurat) was a raised platform with four sloping sides that looked like a tiered pyramid.
Ziggurats were common in ancient Mesopotamia (roughly modern Iraq) from around 4,000 to 500 BCE.
Unlike the Egyptian pyramids, they were not places of royal burials, but temples dedicated to the patron deity of a city.
Details
- Title
- In ancient Mesopotamia, what was a ziggurat?
- Creators
- Eva Anagnostou-Laotides - Macquarie UniversityMichael B Charles - Southern Cross University
- Publication Details
- The Conversation
- Publisher
- The Conversation Media Group Ltd
- Identifiers
- 991013345638202368
- Academic Unit
- Management; Faculty of Business, Law and Arts
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Magazine article