Ziggurat of Dur-Sharrukin — ziggurat
Dur-Sharrukin · Khorsabad, Iraq · Neo-Assyrian period: the city was built c. 717/713–706 BCE under Sargon II (r. 722/721–705 BCE)
The new capital of Sargon II. According to the drawings of Botta and Place, the ziggurat had a spiral ramp and coloured tiers. This is the main argument for the "screw" Assyrian type — and a subject of dispute.
Dossier
- Type: Assyrian
- Ancient city: Dur-Sharrukin
- Modern location: Khorsabad, Iraq
- Deity: Ashur / Sibitti
- Dating: Neo-Assyrian period: the city was built c. 717/713–706 BCE under Sargon II (r. 722/721–705 BCE)
- Builders: Sargon II, king of Assyria
- Material: Mud brick with baked-brick facing (glazed bricks were also used in the city ensemble)
- Plan: Square base, roughly 43 × 43 m; according to the reconstruction, seven tiers narrowing towards the top; ascent presumably by a spiral (screw) ramp, which is disputed
- Base: 43 × 43 m
- Height (originally): about 40 m
- Tiers: 7
What matters
Only the lower tiers of the ziggurat of Dur-Sharrukin survive, so its full height and the number of steps are unknown. The base is square, about 43 × 43 m. The famous appearance — about 40 m high, seven coloured tiers and an encircling spiral ramp — is a reconstruction based on 19th-century excavations, and it is disputed.