Art and Architecture

The climate and abundant resources influenced the building styles. The Sumerians developed the arch, the column, and the dome. These are all gigantic architectural advancements. To build their buildings, they used sun-dried bricks made out of mud. A crucial building found in the center of every Mesopotamian city is the ziggurat. The word ziggurat comes from the Akkadian word zigguratu (peak/high place). It was built with sections built on top of each other with staircases up. Only priests were allowed to go up these steps. They believed that on top of the structure, one could talk to the gods. But, to them, the gods would only listen to the priests.

Remnants of a Ziggurat