Babylon Essay
"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."
Diodorus Siculus
Fruits and flowers... Waterfalls... Gardens hanging from the palace
terraces... Exotic animals... This is the picture of the Hanging
Gardens of Babylon in most people's minds. It may be surprising to
know that they might have never existed except in Greek poets and
historians imagination!
Location
On the east bank of the River Euphrates, about 50 km south of
Baghdad, Iraq.
History
The Babylonian kingdom flourished under the rule of the famous King,
Hammurabi (1792-1750 BC). It was not until the reign of Naboplashar
(625-605 BC) of the Neo-Babylonian dynasty that the Mesopotamian
civilization reached its ultimate glory. His son, Nebuchadnezzar II
(604-562 BC) is credited for building the legendary Hanging Gardens.
It is said that the Gardens were built by Nebuchadnezzar to please
his wife or concubine who had been "brought up in Media and had a
passion for mountain surroundings".
While the most descriptive accounts of the Gardens come from Greek
historians such as Berossus and Diodorus Siculus, Babylonian records
stay silent on the matter. Tablets from the time of Nebuchadnezzar do
not have a single reference to the Hanging Gardens, although
descriptions of his palace, the city of Babylon, and the walls are
found. Even the historians who give detailed descriptions of the
Hanging Gardens never saw them. Modern historians argue that...
View Full Essay