90 km south of the capital of Iraq, Baghdad, are the ruins of ancient Babylon - the once majestic city, the capital of the world empire. It reached its peak in the 7th century BC during the reign of Nebuchadnezzar II. According to the testimony of ancient authors, by order of the king in the city, the hanging gardens of Babylon were built, about the secrets of which even today scientists are in heated debate.
Dynastic marriage
Nebuchadnezzar II ruled all of Western Asia and the northern part of Egypt. The main opponents of Babylon in the struggle for dominance in the Ancient East was Assyria. To subjugate her, Nebuchadnezzar enlisted the support of the Medes king Kiaxar. In accordance with the terms of their military agreement, the princess of Medes Amitis became the wife of the ruler of Babylon.
It was for her that later one of the ancient wonders of the world was created - the hanging gardens of Babylon. Even by modern standards, it was a grandiose project, requiring impressive financial investments and attracting a huge number of workers. However, the question involuntarily begs: "Why are the gardens of Babylon, and not the gardens of Amitis?"
Legendary shamiram
In the 9th century BC Assyria was ruled by the queen - an unprecedented case in the history of the Ancient East, and not only him. Her name was Shamiram (in the Greek translation of Semiramis). In ancient texts, the foundation of Babylon is attributed to her, and her image has incorporated many features of the goddess Ishtar. Be that as it may, but today only one thing is known for certain: the Shamiram (Semiramis) really existed and for some time reigned alone in Assyria. Traditionally, although erroneously, one of the famous wonders of the world is associated with her name in history - the hanging gardens of Babylon.
Works of ancient authors
The unique park, established in Babylon, already in antiquity has earned many enthusiastic descriptions. Mention of him is found in the works of Greek, Babylonian and Roman historians. Herodotus made the most complete description of the gardens in his work History. He visited Babylon in the 5th century BC, that is, about 200 years after the hanging gardens were built here on the orders of Nebuchadnezzar.
In addition to Herodotus, other ancient authors also visited the city: Strabo, Beros, Diodorus, etc. Thanks to their labors, today we can imagine what one of the seven wonders of the world looked like - the hanging gardens of Babylon.
Revival of interest
Along with the fall of Babylon, all the achievements of Mesopotamian civilization disappeared without a trace. For a long time, historians even doubted the existence of the hanging gardens of Babylon, despite the mention of them in ancient manuscripts. However, their skepticism gave way to a new surge of interest after the excavations of Robert Koldevei, who discovered the gates of Ishtar and the Tower of Babel.
The German archaeological expedition headed by him, starting in 1899, made a number of sensational discoveries. Since that time, hanging gardens have again become the subject of research by scientists around the world.
Hypothesis of Koldeveya and modern interpretation
Once upon a time during the excavations of the Southern Palace, a German archaeologist discovered 14 mysterious arched chambers. Koldevei insisted that they served as the foundation of the hanging gardens. Here, according to the archaeologist, there were devices that lifted water up. Today, many scientists believe that these were either warehouses or a prison.
Ancient Greek authors claimed that the gardens were in close proximity to the Tower of Babel. Based on this, Koldevei decided that they should be sought in the city center, near the temple and the royal residence. However, the Southern Palace was too far from the Euphrates, and there was not enough space for gardens there.
For this reason, modern researchers believe that the hanging gardens of Babylon were located near the city wall, much closer to the river. This is indirectly confirmed by Strabo, who wrote that with the help of a pump, water from the Euphrates was raised all day in the gardens.
Assyrian trail
Discussion about the exact location of the hanging gardens of Babylon is still ongoing. For example, there is another theory according to which they were not in Babylon, but in Nineveh, the capital of Assyria. In the VIII century BC, it was a huge city, competing with Babylon in size and magnificence. Due to the love of its inhabitants for cultivating gardens, some scholars believe that the second wonder of the world was in Nineveh. Confirmation, in their opinion, is the preserved relief depicting gardens, which adherents of the "Assyrian" theory consider the gardens of Babylon. However, most scientists still adhere to the traditional version.
Royal gift
Becoming the wife of Nebuchadnezzar, Amitis settled in Babylon, surrounded by endless sands. She quickly yearned for the lush gardens, forests and streams of her homeland. Then the king decided to make a present to his wife, having arranged a real Media Garden on the banks of the Euphrates. To fulfill his plan, Nebuchadnezzar hired the best engineers and builders of his time.
In the meantime, they arranged a site for the future garden, in Ekbatana, the capital of the kingdom of Media, located at an altitude of 1800 m, where the climate is cool and humid, the expedition set off. The path was not close. Ecbatana (today it is northern Iran) was located 500 km from Babylon.
About 200 tree species, including pomegranates and palm trees, as well as rare flowers, were selected for a return trip through the desert. Accompanying the caravan had to constantly water the plants throughout the trip.
Construction works
According to Diodorus, the garden was 123 x 123 m in size. It was built on a water-resistant site, which, in turn, rested on a foundation consisting of numerous platforms. There was a terrace on which to grow trees, and above it several others. To build the roofs of these galleries, a thick layer of reeds, bitumen, as well as clay bricks and cement were used.
Strabo, who visited Babylon in the first century BC, made a detailed description of how the water supply system to the gardens worked. Pumps rose to the highest tier, as well as diagonally on each terrace. They were probably driven by pack animals. Enormous volumes of water moved through the pipes, which created artificial waterfalls, and then flowed through a network of aqueducts, giving life to plants.
What did the gardens look like?
Their description can be found in one of the works of the same Diodorus. He wrote that he had one entrance to the gardens, the terraces - the widest steps - were arranged in tiers one above the other. In front of each of them was a gallery supported by stone columns.
But the interior of the gardens was even more magnificent than the exterior. According to ancient descriptions, there were numerous rooms, and in the center was a large platform with a pool. It was lit by the sun, whose rays penetrated through the roof.
Grown in the dry and hot climate of Babylon, trees and flowers amazed the general imagination with their splendor. For this reason, they were ranked among the miracles, which traditionally counted seven in antiquity. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon are second on this list, immediately following the Cheops pyramid.
In the past, many reconstructions of Babylon were made. Of course, all the photos of the hanging gardens of Babylon are a figment of the imagination of artists, which were based on descriptions of ancient authors. With the development of computer graphics, Babylon was recently recreated in all its splendor, as can be seen by watching the following video.
End of empire
The ancient Greeks compiled a list of the most impressive, in their opinion, architectural structures. It consisted of seven miracles, and the hanging gardens of Babylon were quite naturally included in it.
For all its might, Babylon, however, could not exist forever. In 539, the Persians conquered the city. Everything was burned to the ground, neither the Tower of Babel nor the hanging gardens escaped common fate. Cyrus the Great ordered Babylon to be razed to the ground. All his luxury perished in the flames of a devastating fire. In the end, the ruins of the city were covered with sand, and they were lost for many centuries.