The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, considered as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, is possibly a legendary wonder based in ancient Babylon, which is in present-day Iraq. It was built by King Nebuchadnezzar II who ruled between 605 and 562 BC, for his wife, Amyitis.
There is controversy as to whether the Hanging Gardens is real or just a poetic creation due to the lack of documentation. There is no mention of Nebuchadnezzar’s wife Amyitis although a political marriage to a Median or Persian would not have been unusual. Herodotus, writing about Babylon closest in time to Nebuchadnezzar II, does not mention the Hanging Gardens in his Histories.
As yet, no archaeological evidence has been found at Babylon for the Hanging Gardens. Speculation is that it exists near the Euphrates as the river flowed east of its current position during the time of Nebuchadnezzar II.
Seven Quick Facts
Location: City State of Babylon (Modern Iraq)
Built: Around 600 BC
Function: Royal Gardens
Destroyed: Earthquake, 2nd Century BC
Size: Height probably 80 ft. (24m)
Made of: Mud brick waterproofed with lead.
Other: Only wonder whose archaeological remains cannot be verified. [1]
The Hanging Gardens probably did not really "hang" in the sense of being suspended from cables or ropes. The name comes from an inexact translation of the Greek word kremastos, or the Latin word pensilis, which means not just "hanging", but "overhanging" as in the case of a terrace or balcony.
The Greek geographer Strabo, who described the gardens in first century BC, wrote, "It consists of vaulted terraces raised one above another, and resting upon cube-shaped pillars. These are hollow and filled with earth to allow trees of the largest size to be planted. The pillars, the vaults, and terraces are constructed of baked brick and asphalt. [2]
[1] http://www.unmuseum.org/hangg.htm
[2] http://www.unmuseum.org/hangg.htm
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