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An Architectural and Conceptual Analysis of Mesopotamian Temples from the Ubaid to the Old Babylonian Period

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An Architectural and Conceptual Analysis of Mesopotamian Temples from the Ubaid to the Old Babylonian Period AN ARCHITECTURAL AND CONCEPTUAL ANALYSIS OF MESOPOTAMIAN TEMPLES FROM THE UBAID TO THE OLD BABYLONIAN PERIOD A Master’s Thesis by AMIR H. SOUDIPOUR THE DEPARTMENT OF ARCHAEOLOGY AND HISTORY OF ART BILKENT UNIVERSITY ANKARA February 2007 To my family AN ARCHITECTURAL AND CONCEPTUAL ANALYSIS OF MESOPOTAMIAN TEMPLES FROM THE UBAID TO THE OLD BABYLONIAN PERIOD The Institute of Economics and Social Sciences of Bilkent University by AMIR H. SOUDIPOUR In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF ARTS in THE DEPARTMENT OF ARCHAEOLOGY AND HISTORY OF ART BILKENT UNIVERSITY ANKARA February 2007 I certify that I have read this thesis and that it is fully adequate, in scope and quality, as a thesis for the degree of Master of Arts in the Department of Archaeology and History of Art. ___________________ Dr. Marie-Henriette Gates Supervisor I certify that I have read this thesis and that it is fully adequate, in scope and quality, as a thesis for the degree of Master of Arts in the Department of Archaeology and History of Art. ___________________ Dr. Jacques Morin Examining Committee Member I certify that I have read this thesis and that it is fully adequate, in scope and quality, as a thesis for the degree of Master of Arts in the Department of Archaeology and History of Art. ___________________ Dr. Geoffrey Summers Examining Committee Member Approval of the Institute of Economics and Social Sciences ___________________ Dr. Erdal Erel Director ABSTRACT AN ARCHITECTURAL AND CONCEPTUAL ANALYSIS OF MESOPOTAMIAN TEMPLES FROM THE UBAID TO THE OLD BABYLONIAN PERIOD Soudipour, Amir H. M.A, Department of Archaeology and History of Art. Supervisor: Dr. Marie-Henriette Gates February 2007 This study attempts to explore the architecture of Mesopotamian temples from the Ubaid to the Old Babylonian period. It analyses the ways in which the layout of the temples changed and developed through time. It argues how different factors such as ideology, cosmology, religion and environment were reflected in the architecture and function of temple complexes. The thesis also looks closely at the concept of the temple as the house of god, and by comparing the selected temples of different periods to the domestic architecture of the same period, aims to trace the influence and reflection of the domestic structure on the sacred structure and to determine in which period the structural similarity reaches its zenith and declines. Changes in Mesopotamia’s social organization can be linked to these changes in temple layout. Keywords: Mesopotamia, Temple, House, The temple as the house, Ideology, Religion, Cosmology, Environment. iii ÖZET OBEYD DÖNEMİNDEN ESKİ BABİL DÖNEMİNE MEZOPOTAMYA TAPINAKLARININ MİMARİ VE KAVRAMSAL BİR ANALİZİ Soudipour, Amir H. M.A., Arkeoloji ve Sanat Tarihi Bölümü Tez Yöneticisi: Dr. Marie-Henriette Gates Şubat 2007 Bu çalışmada Ubeyd döneminden Eski Babil dönemine Mezopotamya tapınaklarının mimarisi incelenmektedir. Çalışmada bu tapınakların planlarının zaman içerisinde nasıl değiştikleri analiz edilmekte, ideoloji, kozmoloji, din ve çevre gibi etkenlerin tapınakların mimarisine ve kullanımına nasıl yansıdığı analiz edilmektedir. Tezde, tanrının evi olarak tapınak kavramı da yakından incelenmekte, farklı dönemlerden seçilen tapınakları o dönemin yerel mimarisi ile karşılaştırarak yerel yapının kutsal yapı üzerindeki etkilerinin ve bu yapı üzerine yansımalarının izi sürülmekte ve hangi dönemde bu yapısal benzerliğin tepe noktaya ulaştığı ve düşüşe geçtiği belirlenmeye çalışılmaktadır. Mezopotamya’nın sosyal yapılanmasındaki değişikliklerin tapınak mimarisine ve yapısına da yansıdığı iddia edilmektedir. Anahtar Kelimeler: Mezapotamya, Tapınak, Ev, Ev olarak tapınak, İdeoloji, Din, Kozmoloji, Çevre. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First of all, I would like to express my special gratitude to my thesis advisor, Dr. Marie-Henriette Gates, for her invaluable guidance, constant help and patience. I would like to express my thanks to the thesis committee members, Dr. Jacques Morin and Dr. Geoffrey Summers. I also would like to thank my teachers in the department, Dr. İlknur Özgen, Dr. Julian Bennett, Dr. Charles Gates, Dr. Yaşar Ersoy, Asuman Coşkun Abuagla and Ben Claasz Coockson. I am also very grateful to my family for their support and patience. v TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................. iii ÖZET ............................................................................................................................ iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................... v LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................... viii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION .................................................................................. 1 CHAPTER 2: FIVE MESOPOTAMIAN TEMPLES ................................................... 4 2.1 Temples of Eridu.................................................................................................. 4 2.1.1 Architectural Analysis ................................................................................ 15 2.1.2 Eridu in Ancient Texts ................................................................................ 18 2.2 The Painted Temple at Tell Uqair ...................................................................... 20 2.2.1 Summary ..................................................................................................... 25 2.3 The Sin Temple at Khafajah .............................................................................. 26 2.3.1 Summary ..................................................................................................... 31 2.4 The Temple Oval at Khafajah ............................................................................ 32 2.4.1 Summary ..................................................................................................... 39 2.5 The Kititum Temple at Ishchali ......................................................................... 40 2.5.1 Summary ..................................................................................................... 44 CHAPTER 3: COSMOS OR ENVIRONMENT ......................................................... 45 3.1 The temple as the house of god .......................................................................... 51 3.2 The temple as the administration center ............................................................ 54 3.3 The temple and landscape .................................................................................. 58 vi CHAPTER 4: TEMPLE OR HOUSE .......................................................................... 67 4.1 Pre-Ubaid Architecture ...................................................................................... 67 4.2 Ubaid and Protoliterate Architecture ................................................................. 70 4.3 Early Dynastic Architecture ............................................................................... 76 4. 4 Old Babylonian Architecture ............................................................................ 81 4.5 Summary ............................................................................................................ 84 4.6 God in his house................................................................................................. 85 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION .................................................................................... 88 SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY ........................................................................................ 90 APPENDIX .................................................................................................................. 98 vii LIST OF FIGURES Fig. 1: Location of Five Selected Temples, Oppenheim (1977) p. 47, map.......... 99 Fig. 2: Location of Major Sites in Mesopotamia, Delougaz et al (1942) map...... 100 Fig. 3: Temples of Eridu, Forest (1996) p. 108, fig. 83........................................ 100 Fig. 4: Eridu Temple XVII, Safar et al (1981) p. 89, fig. 39................................. 101 Fig. 5: Eridu Temple XVI, Safar et al (1981) p. 89, fig. 39................................... 101 Fig. 6: Eridu Temple XV, Safar et al (1981) p. 89, fig. 39.................................... 101 Fig. 7: Eridu Temple XI, Safar et al (1981) p. 89, fig. 39………………………. 101 Fig. 8: Eridu Temple X, Safar et al (1981) p. 89, fig. 39……………………..…. 101 Fig. 9: Eridu Temple IX, Safar et al (1981) p. 89, fig. 39………………………. 101 Fig. 10: Eridu Temple VIII, Safar et al (1981) p. 88, fig. 39……………………. 101 Fig. 11: Eridu Temple VII, Safar et al (1981) p. 88, fig. 39…………………….. 101 Fig. 12: Eridu Temple VI, Kubba (1998) p. 171, fig. 2-059…………………….. 101 Fig. 13: Tell Uqair, the Painted Temple, Lloyd et al (1943) pl. V……………… 102 Fig. 14: The Painted Temple, Forest (1996) p. 136……………………………... 102 Fig. 15: Location of Surviving Paintings of the Painted Temple, Lloyd et al (1943) pl. XI.........................……………………………………………………. 103 Fig. 16: Seal from Tell Billa, Collon (1993) p. 173, fig.800…………………..... 103 Fig, 17: Altar Paintings in the Painted Temple, Lloyd et al (1943) pl. X……….. 103 Fig. 18: Wall ‘B’, Lloyd et al (1943) pl. XII……………………………………. 103 Fig. 19: Wall ‘D’, Lloyd et al (1943) pl. XII..…………………………………... 103 Fig. 20: Wall ‘F’, Lloyd et al (1943) pl. XII…………………….………………. 103 Fig. 21: Wall ‘E’, Lloyd et al (1943) pl. XII…………………………………….
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