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  • From: "Tradingpost" <tradingpost@lobo.net>
  • To: livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [Livingontheland] The Hanging Gardens of Babylon
  • Date: Sun, 16 Aug 2009 17:21:00 -0600


The Hanging Gardens of Babylon
http://www.angelfire.com/ny/anghockey/hanginggardens.html
Reina Z, Elisa L, Andrea G

Ancient History Report On: The Hanging Gardens of Babylon

The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World were the most revered and awesome
structures in all of history. Philo of Byzantium compiled the first list of
Seven Wonders for travelers of the Hellenistic Era, which included only
unique man-made structures, such as the Pyramids at Giza or sculptures like
the Colossus of Rhodes . One Wonder that evokes a great deal of interest is
the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Philo highlighted the various qualities that
made the gardens worthy of incorporation onto the list of Wonders in the 3rd
century B.C. These gardens portrayed the majesty of the Babylonian culture
and the advanced technology of its people. It was a terraced garden that
exhibited many beautiful plants and held many fountains. Nebuchadnezzar II
ordered this wonder to be built during his reign of 43 years between the
years of 604-562 BC. He built it to please his homesick wife, Amyitis, who
was from Media. She longed for the meadows and mountains of her homeland. The
Hanging Gardens of Babylon awed and astounded many travelers and historians
in ancient times. Although they no longer exist, the idea of such a
magnificent feat of engineering still fascinates people today.

Nebuchadnezzar, the builder of the gardens, was the most important ruler of
his dynasty. He was the son of Nabopolassar, and lived from 604-562 B.C. As a
military commander, he followed in the footsteps of his predecessors,
conquering many Cities. He marched through Palestine and besieged Jerusalem
twice. Nebuchadnezzar was also one of the most renowned builders in the Near
East, making Babylon the most beautiful city in the region. Around his city,
he built walls, which formed a square. The walls measured 9 miles long.
Beyond the wall was a deep moat, which kept the city safe from invasion.
Herodotus states that the wall was 80 feet thick, 320 feet high, with 250
watchtowers, and 100 bronze gates. Nebuchadnezzar also built the Ishtar Gate.
It was a double gate at the south end of the processional way, which was
dedicated to the goddess Ishtar. It was covered with brilliant blue glazed
bricks and bas-relief animal sculptures. When visitors came upon this gate
they would be in awe. In addition to the Ishtar gate Nebuchadnezzar built a
majestic palace for himself. Travelers marveled at the walls decorated with
colorful friezes of blue and yellow enameled bricks. Nebuchadnezzar paved the
street sidewalks with small red stone slabs. Along the edge of each stone
were carved, "I am Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, who made this,"
demonstrating Nebuchadnezzar's absolute power and influence over Babylon .
Nebuchadnezzar used these works as a means of self-promotion and
self-glorification, not unlike other kings of that time. “Although
Nebuchadnezzar suffered from insanity at some point during his 43-year reign,
he transformed his city into an urban wonder”, states Herodotus .
Nebuchadnezzar died a world conqueror and an architectural role model.

Nebuchadnezzar built the Hanging Gardens, breaking natural law by creating a
botanical wonder, an "impulse deriving from the love of a woman" . He wished
to please his homesick Median wife Amyitis, whom he had married to make an
alliance between Media and Babylonia. She was raised in a green and
mountainous land. Amyitis found Mesopotamia depressing, as it is a flat and
sun-baked environment. Nebuchadnezzar, with hope of making her happier,
decided to build a “recreated homeland” which was an artificial mountain with
rooftop gardens. What made it special was that it was a man-made paradise,
and it “defied nature.” In a barren region, Nebuchadnezzar succeeded where
nature had failed. The gardens were made to look like a natural Median
wilderness. Nebuchadnezzar had man made hills covered with many different
types of trees, which satisfied his wife's passion for mountainous
surroundings. The gardens were sloped down like a hillside, and were also
terraced into different flowerbeds. The beautiful landscape of the Hanging
Gardens helped make it a special structure, and transformed the desert-like
environment into a pastoral countryside.

The gardens had exotic flourishing plants. These plants were cultivated above
ground level. Nebuchadnezzar imported the plants from foreign lands. The
plants may have included “cedar, cypress, myrtle, juniper, almond, date palm,
ebony, olive, oak, terebinth, nuts, ash, firs, nightshade, willow,
pomegranate, plum, pear, quince, fig, and grapevine.” The plants were
suspended over the heads of observers on terraces, they draped over the
terraced walls. Arches were underneath these terraces. The brilliantly
colored trees and flowers that dangled from the walls created a lush and
magical environment.

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon were an impressive example of architecture.
The gardens formed a quadrilateral shape. There were stairways that led to
the uppermost terraced roofs. The plants hung over terraces that were
supported by stone columns. There were arched vaults, which were located on
cubed fountains. The fountains created a humidity that helped keep the area
cool. The shade from the trees also helped keep the gardens cool. The garden
ascended in closely planted levels to form a man-made replica of mountain
greenery. The gardens were supported by an intricate structure of stone
pillars, brick walls, and palm tree trunk beams. These trunks were made
watertight. “Palm beams were laid over with mats of reed and bitumen as well
as two layers of baked mud brick.” All of this was covered in a layer of
lead. There were fourteen vaulted rooms and underground crypts. The entire
structure measured 400 feet by 400 feet. The gardens were as tall as the city
walls, which Herodotus reported to be 320 feet high. Conflicting sources
report that the walls were 80 feet high, a less remarkable, but still
majestic height. The architecture of the Hanging Gardens demonstrates the
majesty of Babylonian structural design under Nebuchadnezzar's rule.

The gardens were as much of a technological feat as they were an
architectural triumph. The technique of hydro engineering demonstrated their
knowledge of irrigation. Since Babylon rarely received rain, the gardens had
to be irrigated. Streams of water emerged from elevated sources and flowed
down the inclined channels. This kept the whole area moist and thus the grass
was always green. Historians have questioned whether the Hanging Gardens used
hydroponics as a way of growing plants. Hydroponics means that nutrients are
added to the water swirling around the plants roots. No soil is used in a
hydroponic system. Excavations have found an elaborate tunnel and pulley
system that brought ground water to the top terrace. The water was dispersed
by means of a chain pump. A chain pump consists of two large wheels, like a
ski lift, with one wheel at the top and one at the bottom. Buckets hanging
from the chain were continuously dipped into the reservoir at the base of the
gardens. By turning handles slaves provided the power to turn the wheels. The
source of the gardens' water was from the Euphrates River. The water from the
pool at the top of the gardens could be released from gates into channels.
The channels acted as artificial streams, designed to water the garden. This
chain pump showed the technological ingenuity of Babylonia and helped sustain
the Hanging Gardens.

Ultimately, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon lasted through the time of
Alexander the Great. This great masterpiece, with its keen architectural
style, cleverness in hydro engineering, lush, flourishing plants and
well-constructed landscape belongs on the list of the Wonders of the World.
Nebuchadnezzar was great in many ways surpassing all other rulers of his
dynasty. The elegance of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon demonstrate his
leadership a strong esthetic sense and great architectural and engineering
foresight. Even if Amyitis never resolved her homesickness, Nebuchadnezzar
and the people of the ancient world who experienced the gardens all benefited
by her depressed nature.

Bibliograpy:

"Ancient Wonders: Gardens of Babylon." Online.
Http://tqjunior.thinkquest.org/5983/pages/gardens.htm. 21 March. 2001.

Ashmawy, Alaa K. "The Hanging Gardens of Babylon." 29 Aug. 2000. Online.
Http://www.wonderclub.com/WorldWonders/GardenHistory.html. 7 May. 2001.

Ashmawy, Alaa K. "The Hanging Gardens of Babylon." 21 March. 2000. Online.
Http://ce.eng.usf.edu/pharos/wonders/gardens.html. 7 May. 2001.

Baird, Rodney R. "The Hanging Gardens of Babylon." 2000. Online.
Http://www.ancientroute.com/Monument/7wonders/gardens.htm. 7 May. 2001.

Clayton, Peter & Price, Martin. The Seven Wonders of the Ancient
World.London: Routledge, 1988.

"Hanging Gardens of Babylon." Online
Http://www.hydrogarden.com/class1/babylon.htm. 21 March. 2001.

Harris, Stephen L. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Wonders of the World. 1998
ed.

Howe, Helen & Howe, Robert. Ancient and Medieval Worlds. White Plains, New
York: Longman.

Krytek, Lee. "The Hanging Gardens of Babylon." 1998. Online.
Http://www.unmuseum.org/hangg.htm. 7 May. 2001.

Mcleish, Kenneth. The Seven Wonders of the World. United Kingdom: Cambridge
University Press.

Saggs, H.W.F. Everyday life in Babylonia and Assyria. New York: Dorsett
Press, 1965.

"The Hanging Gardens of Babylon." Online.
Http://www.theorigins.com/7MillionWonders/wonders/hanging gardens bablyon
1.html.

-©2001, Andrea G, Elisa L, and Reina Z

Note: Footnotes are unavailable in this webformat, so proper citations are
impossible




  • [Livingontheland] The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, Tradingpost, 08/16/2009

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