Ziggurats

Ziggurats
(i.e., ‘mountain peak’)

A Ziggurat, in ancient Mesopotamia, was a rectangular stepped tower. Ziggurats were tall pyramidal towers constructed in stages / floors after the scared numbers: three, five and seven.

• Three [3] = Divine triad

• Five [5] = Five planets

• Seven [7] = to the five planets (Hea / Saturn, Bel / Jupiter, Nergal / Mars, Astarta / Venus, Nabu / Mercury) , Sun and Moon.

In later years, the floors / stages were usually, if not always, seven floors high; with a shrine or temple at the summit. The ancient Sumerians believed their gods lived in the sky. These Mesopotamian ziggurats were not places for public worship. They were believed to be dwelling places for the gods. Through the ziggurat, the gods could be close to mankind and each city revered its own patron god.

Only priests were permitted inside the ziggurat and it was their responsibility to care for the gods and attend to their needs . These seven stage towers were used to not only honor the gods, but observe and record their movements (planetary movements) in the sky.

Etemenanki Ziggurats
One of the most prominent buildings of Babylon (today it is in ruins) was the ziggurat Etemenanki "temple of the foundation of heaven and earth"). The Etemenanki is rumored to have been the inspiration for the biblical story of the Tower of Babel (and the Tower in the Tarot, Major Arcana).

Etemenanki “temple of the foundation of heaven and earth”

The seven stages / floors, represented the seven spheres, in which the seven planets moved.

Each stage was assigned to a planet:

7th Stage = Silver / The Moon
6th Stage = Azure / Mercury
5th Stage = Yellow / Venus
4th Stage = Golden / Sun
3rd Stage = Blood-Red / Mars
2nd Stage = Orange / Jupiter
Basement = Black / Saturn

Lukas Van Valckenborch - Tower of Babel, 1568

The Tower - Golden Eclipse Tarot

Return to: The Foundation

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