The Hanging Gardens of Babylon could be counted as one of the best things that have happened in the world, sliced bread. Interestingly, the gardens have been listed among the seven wonders of the world inasmuch as its location and existence have brought unanswered questions. Different theorems had been stipulated in the quest to answer these questions. Accordingly, this article would not only clarify your doubts but enlighten you more about the history of this wonderful creation.
Hanging Gardens of Babylon: Who Built It?
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon were described to have contained varieties of trees, shrubs, flowers, and vines and also took the shape of a mountain basically constructed with mud bricks and stones. History gave credits of this beautiful creation to the Babylonian King; Nebuchadnezzar II.
Nebuchadnezzar II ruled 600 years before the coming of Christ. It is widely believed that the king built this edifying piece to please his wife; queen Amytis, reasons being that she was homesick and missed the green fields in her origins; Median. No one could disprove this because in the later years, about 290 years after the birth of Christ, the story was attested by Josephus, a romano Jewish scholar.
Inasmuch as history has given kudos to King Nebuchadnezzar for creating the masterpiece, there are proofs that another ancient leader; King Sennacherib (king of Assyria) had created a garden which had similar features. King Sennacherib’s hanging gardens were recognized for its excellent irrigation plan. It had the best of plants, fruits, pines, almond trees to mention a few. In other to prove the existence of his creation, he left a record. Though his story and that of the Babylonian king were told in the same way, both had the intentions of showcasing their love to their wives. In his writings, the king gave a full description of the garden, he listed the limestones which he used to block flood, the architectural plans and his beautiful unlearnt engineering skills of water supply. With the full details he gave in his writings, facts are beginning to point to the idea that the garden was truly his.
Where And When Was It Built?
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon was one of the resort centres in the early days. History points its location to Babylon though there are no archaeological proofs about its creation. Nevertheless, the edifice was not an assumed fact. The garden got its name from its description; it was created above the ground level, using stones as its anchor. With a lot of controversies surrounding the existence of the garden, no one has laid hands on its actual location. There are no records of its existence in Babylon neither are their pieces of evidence to prove its existence.
However, records have it that the structure was built by King Nebuchadnezzar long before the coming of Christ. Nebuchadnezzar constructed the garden alongside his grande palace which was known as The Marvel of Mankind. In the absence of physical truth, we may have to dwell on facts the ancient records have made available.
See Also: 10 Amazing Object-Shaped Buildings From Around The World
Facts About The Hanging Gardens Of Babylon
All writings about the gardens are mythical and are also basically written on the basis of love.
The gardens existed, however, they were completely destroyed after the death of Christ. Some suspect it was either destroyed by an earthquake, erosion or war.
All available writings about the creation were done on the description of the garden of the Assyrian King who reigned 704-681 years before the death of Christ. According to the texts, the gardens were located in Nineveh, not Babylon.
Despite the controversies which bedevil the garden’s existence, it is counted as one of the seven wonders of the world by the Hellenic culture
There is basically no archaeological proof of the garden’s existence, however, appraisals are still given to King Nebuchadnezzar II for his beautiful refined gift to his wife.
A few who had written about the mysterious wonder include a Babylonian priest named Berossus and Diodorus Siculus, Quintus Curtius Rufus, Josephus, and Strabo, who were all Romano Jewish scholars and they also described the garden’s content.
Siculus was the only historian who described the size of the garden. He had written that the garden was 400 feet wide and 400 feet long, describing it as having a square shape.
Although other ancient writers did mention The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, it was only Josephus who actually mentioned the name of the King behind this benevolent act.
The garden was said to have had the best irrigation system and was 75 feet above the ground level.
A lot of people have wondered how a garden could defeat gravity, well, it has been recorded that neither the garden nor its plants were literally hanging above the ground. The edifice apparently stood on strong pillars and the plants grew from different levels such that it gave a step like growth.
Archaeologists are still on the quest to find the truth about the hanging gardens, sometime in 1899 Robert Koldewey who was a German archaeologist discovered some facts; an object which was 400 by 400 long and wide and also a hole which was assumed to be the source of water to the gardens.
There are possibilities of its existence but that doesn’t disprove that it may have been just mythical.
