Monumental Architecture

Monumental architecture refers to large man-made structures of stone or earth. The idea of monumentality relates to everything from palaces, to temples to fortifications and tomb constructions. The defining characteristic of monumental architecture is usually its public nature. In reality, it is a structure or space built by droves of people for masses of the public to look at or share in the use of, whether the labor was forced or consensual. The importance of monumental architecture lies not only in the function it is built to serve but also in the cultural values it represents. Monumental architecture is appealing as well as functional, and it is a form of cultural expression.

Eridu is the oldest Sumerian city known, a capital of the Early Dynastic Period, and according to Sumerian tradition was the city that belonged to the god Enki. Eridu is best known for its temples called Ziggurats. Temples served as regional centers. This was a development of central powers and authority. The structure was like a raised pyramid with several receding stories. Mud bricks baked in the sun were used for the edifice and the exterior was usually glazed with different colors which were in tune to astrological importance. Tiers ranged from two to seven and a temple or a shrine was created at the crest (Robertson). Temples in Mesopotamia perform more than just a religious capacity. They represent central authority and administration. They play an important role in the economy, collect tribute, and redistribute rations and resources. They mobilize labor and they reinforce civic identity and integration. All these things contribute to state formation. The ziggurats were regarded as the house of gods and only priests were permitted entry for their safekeeping. They took upon themselves the task of looking after the gods who were known to look after the people.

The Great Pyramid was the centerpiece of an intricate complex, which included several small pyramids, five boat pits, a mortuary temple, a causeway, a valley temple, and many flat-roofed tombs for officials and some members of the royal family. About 2,550 B.C., King Khufu, the second pharaoh of the fourth dynasty, ordered the building of his tomb at Giza. Khufu’s pyramid is the most massive single building ever created on the planet. The entire project took about 23 years to complete, 2,300,000 building blocks, weighing an average of 2.5 tons each and standing 481 feet tall. The Great Pyramid functioned as an enormous sundial. Its shadow to the north, and its reflected sunlight to the south, accurately marked the annual dates of both the solstices and the equinoxes (Magli). There were three burial chambers inside. One of the chambers was built into the bedrock underground. The queen’s chamber was higher and the king’s chamber was the highest. Khufu didn’t intend to use the queen’s chamber for any of his wives. It is thought that he intended to use it for a statue of himself (Magli).

A defensive wall consisting of a solid structure is a fortification used to shield a city, town or other settlement from potential invaders. All early fortifications were common. Fortifications consist of several elements. Besides the wall, there are supports, towers, gates, channels, staircases, tunnels and embankments. Fortifications protected a large number of people and were defended by warriors as instructed by the state. The Hittite capital Hattusa is located in central Turkey. The militarist Hittites ruled an area from the Aegean Sea to the borders of Mesopotamia. In the 14th-13th centuries BC they expanded their capital of Hattusa, which had been settled since 1650 BC. The Hittites had construction methods based on three building materials that included stone, timber and mud bricks. Stones were used for the foundations and for low walls which were completed by adding mud bricks. Timber was used to support ceilings. The walls, 26 feet thick in places and sitting on layers of huge stones, extended 4 miles across hills and low points making Hattusa the largest fortified city anywhere (Cook 29). The Hittites have left us with few remains of their material civilization. The late Bronze Age city includes the city’s three main gates, identified by their sculptures. They are the lion, sphinx and the king’s gates. The King’s Gate had 2 double-doors closing inwards and the guard left by rope or ladder to the wall above.

Why is there that early importance on monumentality? For many of the ancient rulers, while they were trying to reassert their power, there was a big push to build these huge stone temples to try to bind society again. Monumental architecture is visible and perhaps in a sense the people of that time built big things as a way of beginning a society and working together. Agriculture is what made monument building a possibility. It nurtured stable settlements which in turn created the first writing systems which eventually lead to mathematics, geometry and precision architecture.