GENESIS | 29
Stairs
Level 7 Stairs
Level 6 Level 5
Stairs Level 4
Level 3
Level 1
The Tower of Babel would have been built in ziggurat form . It probably was ancient Babylon ’ s Etemenanki — the “ temple of the foundation of heaven and earth .” Many Babylonian legends and documents describe this structure , as does the Greek historian Herodotus .
Level 2
Stairs
Stairs
The Tower of Babel
Ancients believed that deities dwelt on high places and associated the gods with hills and mountains . Babylon was on low ground — the ziggurat was a substitute mountain . It towered above the dust in the lower air and was an excellent place to observe the stars . From a ziggurat ’ s top , heaven seemed closer .
Size comparison ( approximate ):
Great Pyramid of Giza ( tallest building in the ancient world )
Height 480 ’, base 755.5 ’
Tower of Babel ( tallest brick-structure building of all time )
Height 300 ’, base 300 ’
Monadnock Building in Chicago ( tallest brick-structure building now standing )
Height 197 ’, base 62 ’ ( 16 floors )
The Esagila Tablet from Uruk describes the Etemenanki with these dimensions . The stairs for the top levels are interior .
Level 4 170 ’ x 170 ’ x 20 ’
Level 3 200 ’ x 200 ’ x 20 ’
Level 2 260 ’ x 260 ’ x 60 ’
Level 1 300 ’ x 300 ’ x 110 ’
Tower of Babel ( top view )
Level 7 80 ’ x 60 ’ x 50 ’
Level 6 110 ’ x 110 ’ x
20 ’
Level 5 140 ’ x 140 ’ x 20 ’
American Football Field