Legend has
it that the Hanging Gardens of Babylon were a gift of love from King
Nebuchadnezzar to his homesick wife, Amyitis (Krystek) . Nebuchadnezzar and Amyitis were married to
create an alliance between Babylon and Medes (Krystek) . Unlike the green, mountainous terrain of
Medes, Mesopotamian terrain was flat and dull, severely depressing the beautiful
queen (Krystek) . Stricken by his wife’s despair,
Nebuchadnezzar spared no expense, ordering the construction of a grand,
luxurious mountain of gardens to satisfy his queen (Krystek) . Originally, the gardens served as a VIP
lounge for the elite and members of the royal household (Stevenson 42) . It is not known if the king and queen hosted
galas or parties in the garden, but it is probable considering the gardens were
reserved for those in the royal household.
After Babylon fell to the
Persians, however, the gardens were opened to the public as a sort of peace-offering, preventing a
revolution as a result of the power-shift (Stevenson 42) .
Considered to be one of the Seven
Wonders of the Ancient World, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon were designed to mimic
a natural landscape with trees and running water (The Hanging Gardens of Babylon) . The artificial hill resembled the shape and
dimensions of a Greek theatre (The Hanging Gardens of Babylon) . The lower level most-likely featured a
recreational lake, and pavilions stood erect in the gardens (The Hanging Gardens of Babylon) . Through the years, there has been some
confusion to the true lay-out and design of the gardens. Largely, this is due to the use of the
English word “hanging” when describing the wonders of the gardens as they did
not truly hang (Dalley 7) .
Three ancient authors—Strabo,
Diodorus, and Berossus— described the structure of the Hanging Gardens of
Babylon as terraced or stepped in the form of a ziggurat (Stevenson 40) . The gardens set on the east of bank of the
River Euphrates, directly next to the palace (Stevenson 42) .
Given the sheer size and shape of the mountain, irrigation of the
gardens was problematic. It was thought
that an Archimedean screw pump was used to irrigate the plants, drawing water
from the nearby river (The Hanging Gardens of Babylon) .
Archimedes Screw
Much debate occurred as to the
exact location of the gardens within the palace complex. If the gardens were to have been located on
the northern end, they would have been far from the royal apartments (Stevenson
42) .
Also, the gardens would have been exposed to the harsh north-westerly winds,
leading to a rapid-rate of evaporation and ultimately the dehydration of the
plants. Furthermore, the winds blew
strongest during the summer, a time when many in the household would flock to
the gardens to escape the heat (Stevenson 42) .
If indeed the gardens were on the northern side, the people would have
sought refuge somewhere less impacted by the ferocious winds. (Stevenson
42) . Locating the gardens on the southern-end of
the complex, therefore, seems to be most ideal (Stevenson 42). Not only would they be better sheltered from
the wind, but they would also be easily accessed from the royal apartments (Stevenson
42) .
Scholars also debate on the true location of the
gardens. One assyriologist, Stephanie
Dalley, proposed the Hanging Gardens were actually located in Nineveh (Reade 97) . Dalley based her claim in the noted absence
of references to gardens in various royal inscriptions from Neo-Babylonian
times (Reade 97). The Assyrian kings, in
contrast, described their gardens in Nineveh in meticulous detail (Reade 97) . Furthermore, it was common for Greco-Roman
writers to confuse Mesopotamian personal and geographical names, as some of
Babylon’s monuments have been credited to “Assyrian” rulers (Reade 97) . In addition, the Archimedean screw was commonly
described in the details of the Nineveh gardens (Reade 97). Likewise, Nineveh and Babylon, according to The Oxford Companion to the Garden, were
often confused by biblical and classical writers (2006). It was not uncommon for writers to confuse Sennacherib
(the Assyrian king) and Nebuchadnezzar (the Babylonian king) (The Hanging Gardens of Babylon) . In fact, recent evidence shows the Nineveh
could have come to be known as Babylon (Dalley 9) .
Regardless of the true location of the Hanging Gardens,
they would have been an extraordinary sight to see. Their sheer beauty and promised luxuries were unlike anything seen today.
Furthermore, the story behind their construction is heartwarming and
romantic, reflecting true love. And who doesn’t love a
good love story?
Works
Cited
Babylon: The Hanging Gardens of Semiramis. 04 June 2009. Image. 18 January 2014.
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLlroENeNHk>.
Dalley, Stephanie. "Ancient Mesopotamian Gardens
and the Identification of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon Resolved." Garden
History 21.1 (1993): 1-13. Web. 18 January 2014.
EpicPhysics.com. "Archimedes Screw 5." 2011.
Video. 18 January 2014.
<http://www.epicphysics.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Archimedes-Screw-5.jpg>.
"Hanging Gardens of Babylon." May 06 2013.
Image. 20 January 2014.
<http://www.natureworldnews.com/articles/1770/20130506/nebuchadnezzars-hanging-garden-babylon-actually-rival-kings-land-300-miles.htm>.
"The Hanging Gardens of Babylon." The
Oxford Companion to the Garden. Ed. Patrick Taylor.
Oxford
University Press, 2006. Web. 19 January 2014.
Krystek, Lee. Seven Wonders of the Ancient World:
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon. 1999. Web. 19 January 2014.
<http://www.unmuseum.org/hangg.htm>.
Reade, Julian. "Alexander the Great and the
Hanging Gardens of Babylon." Iraq. Vol. 62. British Insititute for
the Study of Iraq, 2000. 195-217. Web. 18 January 2014.
Stevenson, D. W. W. "A Proposal for the
Irrigation of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon." Iraq. Vol. 54.
British Institute for the Study of Iraq, 1992. 35-55. Web. 18 January 2014.
Rachel, I found your post on The Hanging Gardens of Babylon incredibly interesting. I particularly liked how you touched on the issue of their layout. I have always been one of those people who thought that the gardens were actually hanging. Your blog post was able to correct me on that. I also did not know that the gardens were more than just a garden. I first did not know that they were a gift from a king to his queen. This raises the bar pretty high for guys giving their girlfriends flowers now. I also did not know that there were various levels and rooms within the gardens. The various rooms reminded me of sixth grade when I was in my World History class. When we were on our Roman Empire unit, we learned about the Roman baths. We then made recreations of these baths out of pizza boxes. For some reason, the project has stuck with me. These baths were the hang out place for the Roman men. There were several types of baths one could take—cold, warm, and hot. They also had exercise rooms, swimming pools, and gyms. Not only did these buildings allow for the Roman men to stay clean, but they also served as a place to socialize. As I read your blog, I kept envisioning these baths with hanging flower baskets everywhere. The purpose of the garden, at least after the Persians took over Babylon, seems like it was a lot like that of the Roman baths—a place for socialization.
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