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Good Morning all,<!--more-->
My name is Jay Dongieux.

The Earth has become uninhabitable as we all know.

How sad that we have become so self-focused that we have allowed our world to crumble and wither away.

This has occurred partially as a result of fragmented societies.  Families as well as individuals focused too much on themselves rather than the planet as a whole. The year is 2100. Our goal here together today is to choose four art works to carry aboard our space ship, to preserve and serve as inspiration for our people. The work I have chosen is the Ziggurat of Ur.

The reason I have chosen this work is because of its architectural, historical and societal influence. The building of the Ziggurat of Ur showed that huge throngs of people could come together for long periods of time to accomplish a common goal for the good of the people as a whole.

It is architecturally significant in the fact that it was the first known structure of its kind anywhere in the world.  It showed the architectural awareness of its builders. It is historically significant because it was followed by many other ziggurats, 32 that we know of today.

It was similar to the pyramids of Egypt. It is societally significant because , unlike the society of today where families and communities are splintered off and separated, thousands of people probably came together for years at a time to build this magnificent building.

Society should become more communal ,rather than individualistic. When we become so individualistic, we lose focus of the good of all mankind as a whole.

A ziggurat is a rectangular tiered temple mound.  Many have seven tiers. The seven tiers represent the heavens.  It was erected by ancient Babylonians around 2100 B.C.   Ziggurat is the moderm term derived from the Akkadian word ziggurratu. They resembled pyramids, and are made of mud-brick and stone.  The structures were intended to be ladders to the gods. Building techniques were mastered by the third millenium. Ziggurats are similar to pyramids, because they have stair-stepped shape and temple tops.  Ziggurats had large stairways, or in some cases ramps.

Ur is a Sumerian city in southern Iraq. Abraham, from the bible,  home was known as Ur. It is along the Euphrates River. Water is essential to human survival, so the location of structures  is of the utmost importance. An ur is a "tell" , which is an artificial mound containing remains of accumulated habitants.

The ziggurat is the most enduring symbol of the Mesopotamian era.  They are monuments of their kings, as well as to the combined labor forces of the time. The Ziggurat of Ur was basically the center for many community activities such as religion,economy,education and government.

The Ziggurat of Ur was the first known structure of its kind anywhere.  It was constructed under the direction of King Ur-Nammu. Ur-Nammu directed the construction of ziggurats in the cities of Eridu, Uruk and Nippur.Nanna is the moon god, who was the patron deity and divine king of Ur.Knowledge of the peoples life, history, business and art is now fairly complete and detailed.

Both ziggurats and pyramids were viewed as symbolic representations of the first land to appear on earth.  Ziggurats remind us of the possibility of a higher power, being, god or divinity figure. It helps us focus on something other than ourselves. Taking the focus away from oneself allows us to grow.

The first serious excavations at Ur were made after World War I by H.R. Hall of the British Museum. The Ziggurat of Ur has also been referred to as the Tower of Babel.

Unlike Egyptian pyramids, ziggurats were never tomb buildings. So far , archaeologists have found the remains of thirty-two ziggurats in and around the Mesopotamian plains.

Followed was  Mr. Leonard Woolley led the well published excavations between 1922 and 1934. Woolley's excavations gave us information about Ur. The information from his work focused on walls, tombs, houses and a religious center. His  work was very important , because it greatly expanded our knowledge of  history. There is some evidence that the occupation of Ur ended with a flood, the  one described in Genesis in the Bible. Woolley's work showed that the builders were familiar with columns, arches, vaults and domes.  Excavations have revealed storerooms, courtyards,other buildings and a shrine. Excavations have also revealed massive treasures of gold, silver, bronze and semiprecious stones.

The ziggurat was an icon of the community at the time. It was the center of activity for its people. It was used very frequently and was the most significant structure in the area. Judging by the detail of what was found in the excavations of Woolley and Hall, it contained items relevant to all facets of life in the present, and up to and including present day year 2100 such as religion,art,science,industry and government.

The Ziggurat of Ur should be preserved to remind future generations of how to accomplish a common goal over a long time period and among a  huge number of people. Society has become so splintered and multi-focused today that we have forgotten the common good for immediate gratification. Internet, cell phones, instant messages, everything is disposable and nothing is made to last or carry any meaning behind it.  Nothing these days has any lasting value, permanence or significance. Columns, canals, perfumes and glass were all very important innovations of the time of the ziggurats.

works cited

ross,leslie, Art and Architecture of the World Religions, greenwood press,Volume 1 , 2009
pearsall, deborah m, Editor-In-Chief, Encyclopedia of Archaeology, Volume 1A, 2 , B-M, academic press, San Diego,2008
turner, jane. Dictionary of art. Vol 12, London,oxford university press, 1996 , print
dl.lib.brown.edu/reserves/pdffiles/10242_Westenholz_Ur.pdf