The Thoughts of Wesley son of Cornelius

“While his father Terah was still alive, Haran died in Ur of the Chaldeans, in the land of his birth.” (Genesis 11:28 NIV)

Archeologists excavated Ur between 1922 and 1934. One key aspect of the city was the large ziggurat near the center of Ur. This pyramidal tower can be found in almost every ancient Mesopotamian city. Currently, 32 known ziggurats have been discovered in Iraq and Iran. The ziggurat was not a place for public worship. The ancients believed the gods actually dwelled in the top of these towers.

While the ziggurats in Mesopotamia were being built, the Egyptians were building slightly different buildings. The Egyptians are the ones who have made pyramids popular. Where ziggurats were the houses of gods, Egyptian pyramids were the tombs of pharaohs. The early pharaohs were believed to be gods or descendants of the gods. Many archeologists believe the pyramids represent the rising and setting of the sun—that is Ra, the sun god.

Egypt is not the only ancient civilization who built pyramids. There are more than 16 pyramids spread over Greece. The oldest one, Pyramid of Hellinikon, probably is older than the oldest Egyptian pyramid. Several of these pyramids are still being investigated today. As of recent, there is no clear evidence on how these pyramids were used.

In modern day Sudan near the mouth of the Nile valley, the Nubian pyramids can be found. These pyramids shared many common traits with the Egyptian pyramids. They too were tombs for kings and queens.

Pyramids have also been discovered in China. The interesting tomb of Qin Shi Huang, the First Emperor of China, is a mound in the shape of a pyramid. Qin Shi Huang is famous for unifying ancient China, constructing the terracotta army, connecting various walls to establish the precursor version of the Great Wall, and building a tomb that has not been opened to this day because of the high mercury levels detected inside. The emperors were not necessarily gods. However, they were connected to the dragons, which were immortal. Likewise, the Chinese emperors were the middle men for the gods and man.

Pyramids have also been discovered in South America and Mexico. The Mayans and Aztecs are famous for there stepped temples. Like with the Egyptians, the Aztecs put a lot of focus on the sun and heaven.

A recent site in Bosnia has been excavated. In the town of Visoko a controversial pyramid has been discovered. Could this pyramid also be an ancient man-made tower to the gods?

Did the ancients build these religious towers because of their memories of the Tower of Babel? Maybe.