The Hanging Gardens of Babylon have inspired curiosity among historians for many centuries, because although there are some records of descriptions, it is not known with certainty if they really existed. This botanical paradise on the banks of the Euphrates River, It is part of the list of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, which is why it has raised the greatest unknowns throughout history. Whether it was myth or not, there is no doubt that it is a truly fascinating architectural idea.
Origin of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon
According to historical records, this marvel dates back to the 6th century BC, when the king of Babylon Nebuchadnezzar II, He ordered the construction of a series of gardens to demonstrate the love he professed for his wife, Princess Amytis of Meda. Amytis was the daughter of King Cyaxeres of the Middle Kingdom who came from the mountains. For this reason, King Nebuchadnezzar II wanted to create an architectural work that evoked his wife’s former home, which was very different from the great plains of the city of Babylon.
Although this is not the only hypothesis about the origin of the gardens of Babylon. There is also a version that points to the Assyrian queen Semiramis or Shammuramat having them built in the 10th century BC. C. It is said of her that she was a brave queen who conquered Egypt and India, however, she could not bear the betrayal of her son who planned to overthrow her from power and ended up committing suicide.
Aspect of the hanging gardens
There is no conclusive evidence of the actual appearance of the gardens, only indications of what they might have looked like. It is believed that this building was on a construction arranged in different levels of terraces. In each one of them, the vegetation protruded and hung to give the effect of being suspended in the air. Hence, they were called hanging gardens and, in fact, they became the most remarkable feature of the architectural wonder.
Historians believe that the irrigation of such suspended gardens presented a challenge. But it is believed that to keep the botanical terraces leafy, a machine similar to a hydraulic waterwheel was used that allowed large amounts of water to be raised. Archaeologists have found in the ruins of the South Palace, a large well that has the characteristics to fulfill this task.
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With the possible decline of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, the gardens were progressively abandoned. When Alexander the Great as part of his expeditions he reached the place, in the 4th century BC, the place was already in ruins and completely abandoned. And finally the king Evemero in the year 126 a. C., was in charge of demolishing them.
One of the Seven Wonders of the World
Although there are historians who doubt the existence of the Babylonian gardens, there are others who argue that it is difficult to believe that they did not exist. As there are descriptions of ancient explorers that detail the architectural aspect of the place. For example, Philo of Byzantium, the Greek writer who wrote The Seven Wonders of the World, described:
«Trees with broad leaves and palms grow there, flowers of all kinds and colors, and, in a word, everything that is most pleasing to the eye and most pleasant to enjoy. The place is cultivated as it is done in the lands of The work and the care of the shoots are carried out more or less as on dry land, but the arable is above the heads of those who walk along the columns below».
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For his part, the Greek geographer Strabo wrote in the first century about the hanging gardens of Babylon:
“It consists of vaulted terraces raised one above the other, resting on cubic pillars. These are hollowed out and filled with earth to allow the planting of large trees. The pillars, the vaults, and the terraces are built with baked brick and asphalt.”
For these reasons it is that he was considered in the selection of various Hellenistic Greek writers to name the Seven Wonders of the ancient world which also include the Great Pyramid of Giza, the temple of Artemis in Ephesus, the statue of Zeus in Olympia, the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, the Colossus of Rhodes and the Lighthouse of Alexandria.
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