Difference between revisions of "Hanging Gardens of Babylon" - New World Encyclopedia

From New World Encyclopedia
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==History==
 
==History==
During the rule of the well-known king, Hammurabi (1792-1750 B.C.E.), the kingdom of Babylonia rose to a new prominence in power and wealth. However, Mesopotamian civilization did not reach the apex of its glory until the reign of Naboplashar (625-605 B.C.E.), who began the Neo-Babylonian dynasty. His fabled son, Nebuchadnezzar II (604-562 B.C.E.), is considered the builder of the legendary Hanging Gardens. In order to win favor with his wife, Amyitis, who had been "brought up in Media and had a passion for mountain surroundings," it is said that Nebuchadnezzar had the Hanging Gardens built.
+
During the rule of the well-known king, Hammurabi (1792-1750 B.C.E.), the kingdom of Babylonia rose to a new prominence in power, wealth, and influence. However, Mesopotamian civilization did not reach the apex of its glory until the reign of Naboplashar (625-605 B.C.E.), who began the Neo-Babylonian dynasty. His fabled son, Nebuchadnezzar II (604-562 B.C.E.), is considered the builder of the legendary Hanging Gardens. In order to win favor with his wife, Amyitis, who had been "brought up in Media and had a passion for mountain surroundings," it is said that Nebuchadnezzar had the Hanging Gardens built to comfort her.
  
Interestingly, if one wants a description of the Gardens, they will find none in records from Babylonian history. Only by referring to the accounts of Greek historians, such as Berossus and Diodorus Siculus, will one learn something about how they might have appeared. Stone tablets from Nebuchadnezzar’s reign give detailed descriptions of the city of Babylonia, and its walls, and the palace, but do not have a single reference to the Hanging Gardens, itself. What’s more, those historians who wrote about the Hanging Gardens never actually saw them.
+
Interestingly, if one wants a description of the Gardens, they will find none in records from Babylonian history. Only by referring to the accounts of Greek historians, such as Berossus and Diodorus Siculus, will one learn something about how they might have appeared. Stone tablets from Nebuchadnezzar’s reign give detailed descriptions of the city of Babylonia, its walls, and the palace, but do not have a single reference to the Hanging Gardens, itself. What’s more, those historians who wrote about the Hanging Gardens never actually saw them.
  
Today, some modern historians make the case that the Hanging Gardens of Babylon never actually existed. They stake their claims of the fact that Alexander the Great’s army was amazed at the immense prosperity of the thriving city of Babylon. When the soldiers finally returned to their stark homeland, they had incredible stories to relate about the remarkable gardens, palm trees, and buildings of rich and fertile Mesopotamia. This was, after all, the land of Nebuchadnezzar’s fabulous palace, the legendary Tower of Babel, and the pyramid-like ziggurats. When all of these extraordinary architectural elements were combined together by the imagination of the poets, scholars, and historians of ancient Greece, the result was another, although fictional, World Wonder.
+
Today, some historians make the case that the Hanging Gardens of Babylon never actually existed. They stake their claims on the fact that the warriors in the army of Alexander the Great were amazed at the immense prosperity of the thriving city of Babylon. When the soldiers finally returned to their stark homeland, they had incredible stories to relate about the remarkable gardens, palm trees, and imposing buildings of rich and fertile Mesopotamia. This was, after all, the land of Nebuchadnezzar’s fabulous palace, the legendary Tower of Babel, and the pyramid-like ziggurats. When all of these extraordinary architectural elements were combined together by the imagination of the poets, scholars, and historians of ancient Greece, the result was another, although fictional, World Wonder.
  
Finally, twentieth-century archaeologists started collecting evidence about unsolved questions about the Hanging Gardens of Babylon: What was their location? What kind of irrigation system did it have? What did the Hanging Gardens actually look like? Some recent research suggests that the Hanging Gardens may have been constructed by Senaherib, not by Nebuchadnezzar II, some 100 years earlier.
+
Finally, twentieth-century archaeologists started collecting evidence about unsolved questions concerning the Hanging Gardens: What was their location? What kind of irrigation system did it have? What did the Hanging Gardens actually look like? Some recent research suggests that the Hanging Gardens may have been constructed by Senaherib, not by Nebuchadnezzar II, some 100 years earlier.
  
 
==Appearance==
 
==Appearance==
 
Ancient Greek historians, such as Strabo and Philo of Byzantium, described in detail the Hanging Gardens of Babylon:  
 
Ancient Greek historians, such as Strabo and Philo of Byzantium, described in detail the Hanging Gardens of Babylon:  
  
"The Garden is quadrangular, and each side is four plethra long. It consists of arched vaults which are located on checkered cube-like foundations.. The ascent of the uppermost terrace-roofs is made by a stairway..."  
+
"The Garden is quadrangular, and each side is four plethra [100 Greek feet] long. It consists of arched vaults which are located on checkered cube-like foundations...The ascent of the uppermost terrace-roofs is made by a stairway..."  
  
"The Hanging Garden has plants cultivated above ground level, and the roots of the trees are embedded in an upper terrace rather than in the earth. The whole mass is supported on stone columns... Streams of water emerging from elevated sources flow down sloping channels... These waters irrigate the whole garden saturating the roots of plants and keeping the whole area moist. Hence the grass is permanently green and the leaves of trees grow firmly attached to supple branches... This is a work of art of royal luxury and its most striking feature is that the labor of cultivation is suspended above the heads of the spectators".  
+
"The Hanging Garden has plants cultivated above ground level, and the roots of the trees are embedded in an upper terrace rather than in the earth. The whole mass is supported on stone columns... Streams of water emerging from elevated sources flow down sloping channels... These waters irrigate the whole garden saturating the roots of plants and keeping the whole area moist. Hence the grass is permanently green and the leaves of trees grow firmly attached to supple branches... This is a work of art of royal luxury and its most striking feature is that the labor of cultivation is suspended above the heads of the spectators".
  
 
==Archaeological theories==
 
==Archaeological theories==

Revision as of 13:58, 25 May 2007

A 16th century depiction of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon (by Martin Heemskerck). The Tower of Babel is visible in the background.
Seven Wonders of the Ancient World
Great Pyramid of Giza
Hanging Gardens of Babylon
Statue of Zeus at Olympia
Temple of Artemis
Mausoleum of Maussollos
Colossus of Rhodes
Lighthouse of Alexandria
Gardens of Semiramis, 20th century interpretation

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon (also known as Hanging Gardens of Semiramis) and the walls of Babylon (present-day Iraq) were considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World. They were both supposedly built by Nebuchadnezzar II around 600 B.C.E.. He created them for his wife Amyitis of Media, who was homesick for her native land's trees and beautiful plants.

The lush Hanging Gardens are extensively documented by Greek historians such as Strabo and Diodorus Siculus, but otherwise there is little evidence for their existence. In fact, there are no Babylonian records of any such gardens having existed at all. Some circumstantial evidence gathered at the excavation of the palace at Babylon has accrued, but does not completely substantiate what look like fanciful descriptions. Through the ages, the location may have been confused with gardens that existed at Nineveh, since tablets from there clearly show gardens. Writings on these tablets describe the possible use of something similar to an Archimedes' screw as a process of raising the water to the required height.

Hanging Garden, Assyrian interpretation
File:Hanging Garden.gif
A hanging garden, 21st century interpretation

The Greek historian Diodorus Siculus gave one of the best accounts of the site: "The approach to the Garden sloped like a hillside and the several parts of the structure rose from one another tier on tier... On all this, the earth had been piled….And was thickly planted with trees of every kind that, by their great size and other charm, gave pleasure to the beholder... The water machines [raised] the water in great abundance from the river, although no one outside could see it."

Located on or near the east bank of the River Euphrates, about 31 miles south of Baghdad, Iraq, the traditional image of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon—blossoming flowers, ripe fruit, gushing waterfalls, terraces lush with rich foliage, and exotic creatures roaming about—may have only been a figment of the fertile imagination of Greek scholars and poets. Solid archaeological evidence providing conclusive evidence of the existence of the Hanging Gardens has yet to be found.

History

During the rule of the well-known king, Hammurabi (1792-1750 B.C.E.), the kingdom of Babylonia rose to a new prominence in power, wealth, and influence. However, Mesopotamian civilization did not reach the apex of its glory until the reign of Naboplashar (625-605 B.C.E.), who began the Neo-Babylonian dynasty. His fabled son, Nebuchadnezzar II (604-562 B.C.E.), is considered the builder of the legendary Hanging Gardens. In order to win favor with his wife, Amyitis, who had been "brought up in Media and had a passion for mountain surroundings," it is said that Nebuchadnezzar had the Hanging Gardens built to comfort her.

Interestingly, if one wants a description of the Gardens, they will find none in records from Babylonian history. Only by referring to the accounts of Greek historians, such as Berossus and Diodorus Siculus, will one learn something about how they might have appeared. Stone tablets from Nebuchadnezzar’s reign give detailed descriptions of the city of Babylonia, its walls, and the palace, but do not have a single reference to the Hanging Gardens, itself. What’s more, those historians who wrote about the Hanging Gardens never actually saw them.

Today, some historians make the case that the Hanging Gardens of Babylon never actually existed. They stake their claims on the fact that the warriors in the army of Alexander the Great were amazed at the immense prosperity of the thriving city of Babylon. When the soldiers finally returned to their stark homeland, they had incredible stories to relate about the remarkable gardens, palm trees, and imposing buildings of rich and fertile Mesopotamia. This was, after all, the land of Nebuchadnezzar’s fabulous palace, the legendary Tower of Babel, and the pyramid-like ziggurats. When all of these extraordinary architectural elements were combined together by the imagination of the poets, scholars, and historians of ancient Greece, the result was another, although fictional, World Wonder.

Finally, twentieth-century archaeologists started collecting evidence about unsolved questions concerning the Hanging Gardens: What was their location? What kind of irrigation system did it have? What did the Hanging Gardens actually look like? Some recent research suggests that the Hanging Gardens may have been constructed by Senaherib, not by Nebuchadnezzar II, some 100 years earlier.

Appearance

Ancient Greek historians, such as Strabo and Philo of Byzantium, described in detail the Hanging Gardens of Babylon:

"The Garden is quadrangular, and each side is four plethra [100 Greek feet] long. It consists of arched vaults which are located on checkered cube-like foundations...The ascent of the uppermost terrace-roofs is made by a stairway..."

"The Hanging Garden has plants cultivated above ground level, and the roots of the trees are embedded in an upper terrace rather than in the earth. The whole mass is supported on stone columns... Streams of water emerging from elevated sources flow down sloping channels... These waters irrigate the whole garden saturating the roots of plants and keeping the whole area moist. Hence the grass is permanently green and the leaves of trees grow firmly attached to supple branches... This is a work of art of royal luxury and its most striking feature is that the labor of cultivation is suspended above the heads of the spectators".

Archaeological theories

Recent archaeological digs at Babylon have unearthed the palace, the vaulted building with thick walls, perhaps mentioned above by Greek historians, and an irrigation well in proximity to the southern palace. Although an archaeological team surveyed southern palace site and presented a reconstruction of the vaulted building as being the actual Hanging Gardens, accounts by Strabo, a Greek historian, place the Hanging Gardens close to the Euphrates River. Still other archaeologists insist that the vaulted building is thousands of feet from the Euphrates and, therefore, too distant to support the original claims. The latter team reconstructed the site of the palace, placing the Hanging Gardens in a zone running from the river to the palace. Interestingly, on the banks of the Euphrates, newly discovered, immense, 82-foot thick wall may have been stepped to form terraces...just like those referenced in Greek references.

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

  • Curlee, Lynn. The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, Atheneum, 2002. ISBN 978-0689831829
  • Jordan, Paul. The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, Longman, 2002. ISBN 978-0582771871
  • Kilsing, Vernon N. Zoo and Aquarium History: Ancient Animal Collections to Zoological Gardens, CRC, 2000. ISBN 978-0849321009
  • Layard, Austin Henry. Discoveries in the Ruins of Nineveh and Babylon, Adamant Media Corporation, 2001. ISBN 978-1402174445
  • Wright, Richardson Little. The story of gardening: From the hanging gardens of Babylon to the hanging gardens of New York, Dover, 1983. ASIN B0006B1IW


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