Influence Of Architecture On Mesopotamian Architecture

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eligion has a big influence on Mesopotamian and Japanese architecture. Mesopotamia shifts their religious views to the concept of having multiple gods looking over them. This same concept influenced the Mesopotamians to build massive, tall structures called Ziggurats. The purpose of the ziggurat’s design was to enable the community a way to become closer to the gods, essentially as a passageway between heaven and earth. Japan on the other hand, centralizes their beliefs around Buddhism, Shintoism, and Zen. Although Shintoism centralizes around the way of the gods, all three of these religions focus greater on the concepts of connecting with nature and not as much with the gods. Japans religious structures include temples and shrines designed …show more content…

For Japan, wood structures resemble a perfect balance between man-made and natural resources supporting their concept of being close to the natural environment. Methods of building between Mesopotamia and Japan vary in both purpose and shape. Mesopotamian civilizations were built closely compacted and conveniently located near rivers or natural topography that helped shield the sun from the city. A wall blocking its vision from the outside and protecting their valuables from intruders surrounded the whole city. All Mesopotamian structures were built either ground level our embedded beneath the earth’s surface due to the weight of the structures and the usage of earths insulated consistency. Japan however designed their homes in a way that exposed as much of the structure as possible to nature around it. Buildings would have a zigzagging pattern creating a multitude of opportunities to frame nature. Japanese homes were elevated off the ground in order to protect the floor from moisture as well control those who live in it to be eye level with nature when …show more content…

Although building methods from the past has changed tremendously compared to today’s architecture, there are still examples of modern architecture that make similar concepts to old Japanese and Mesopotamian architecture. One of these examples is Churches; Churches are religious structures designed for a community to meet and worship the religion they follow. The shape of churches closely resembles the shape of Ziggurats and temples for most churches have a wide base with multiple tapered towers reaching towards the sky. Another example of similarities would include the materials we use for construction. Although our reasoning may not be for the exact same reason as older civilization, we still use wood today to build smaller, lightweight structures while concrete and steel allow for more permanent, larger buildings. Modern architecture applies some of the same building methods used in the past, such as elevated floor to protect the building in hot, humid

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