The Hanging Gardens of Babylon are classed as one of the seven wonders of the ancient world; the Babylon gardens were reported to have been a spectacular sight of exotic plants, tall columns, terraces, balconies and many water features. A sophisticated watering system was built to keep the plants alive in their non-native habitat.
It is said that people traveled from great distances to view the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Greek writers Strabo (63/64 B.C. - approximately A.D. 24) and Philo (20 B.C. - 50 A.D.) wrote highly descriptive accounts of the gardens; yet the ancient history of the infamous Babylon gardens is sometimes contradictory.
Who Built the Hanging Gardens of Babylon?
History reports that the Hanging Gardens of Babylon were built by King Nebuchadnezzar II in approximately 600 B.C. and were destroyed by earthquake some time after 2nd century B.C. The ancient Babylon gardens were built for King Nebuchadnezzar II's wife, Amyitis, who was homesick for the green and fragrant plants of her native Persia.
Where were the Gardens of Babylon Located?
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon were said to be located 50 miles to the south west of present day Baghdad in Iraq; at the time of King Nebuchadnezzar II's reign, the region was known as Mesopotamia. There is some dispute over the exact location of the infamous Babylon gardens and, indeed, of their actual existence. Archaeologists continue to search for conclusive proof of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon and the true extent of the reported terraces and water features.
Did the Hanging Gardens of Babylon Exist?
Greek and Roman literature have many accounts of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, including those of Greek historians Strabo (63/64 B.C. - approximately A.D. 24) and Greek philosopher Philo (20 B.C. - 50 A.D.), but Babylon history itself lacks the inscriptions about the Babylon gardens which have been found about King Nebuchadnezzar II's palace and the city of Babylon. All reports of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon appear to be second hand.
Plants Found in the Hanging Gardens of Babylon
It is believed that the ancient gardens of Babylon were full of palm trees, green trees and fragrant plants which were native to Queen Amyitis's home land; Mesopotamia was a barren land which didn't traditionally support the exotic and green plants said to be found in the Babylon gardens. It is possible that the Hanging Gardens of Babylon contained fragrant roses, almond trees, cypress trees, lilies and exotic blossoms. However, there is no conclusive proof of any of the plants which may have been grown in Babylon.
The Sophisticated Watering System of the Ancient Babylon Gardens
Perhaps one of the most elaborate constructions of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon was the report of a sophisticated watering system, constructed to keep the many non-native plants alive. The Babylon gardens were said to be supported by stone columns, arranged in terraces, which meant that the roots of trees became entwined in stone, asphalt, reed and tiles (according to a report by Greek Historian Diodorus Siculus in his Biblotheca historica) rather than just earth.
Historians have concluded that the Babylonians used either hydroponic techniques and/or a system of a chain pump to keep the plants alive in the ancient gardens. A chain pump would have taken water from the nearby Euphrates river; two huge, chained wheels would have lifted buckets to take the water and tip it out into the upper terraces, resulting in a cascading effect.
The Legendary Gardens of Babylon
There are also legends that the Hanging Gardens of Babylon existed in another location or that they were not even built by King Nebuchadnezzar II but the Assyrian Queen Semiramis between 810 and 805 B.C.; an alternative name for the Hanging Gardens of Babylon is in fact the Gardens of Semiramis.
Some believe the Hanging Gardens of Babylon only existed in the minds of Greek poets and writers or emerged from the mixed up tales of soldiers returning from distant lands. If the Hanging Gardens of Babylon did exist they would have been a spectacular sight of green plants and cascading terraces in a land where many plants did not usually survive and a true wonder of the ancient world.
References:
- Authentic Wonders web site accessed 11/30/09
- The History Channel: Seven Wonders of the Ancient World web site accessed 11/30/09
- The Hanging Gardens of Babylon web site accessed 11/30/09
- The Museum of Unnatural Mystery: The Hanging Gardens of Babylon web site accessed 11/30/09
Sharon Falsetto - Sharon Falsetto is a business owner, certified clinical aromatherapist & professional writer with a life-long interest in plants.
