A

David

Darling

Hanging Gardens of Babylon

Reconstruction of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon

A reconstruction of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.


The Hanging Gardens of Babylon were one of the seven ancient wonders of the world. The Greeks connected them with Queen Semiramis, a legendary queen of Babylon, but they were, in fact, made by Nebuchadnezzar (c. 605–562 BC) in about 600 BC. Diodorus and Strabo have given descriptions of them.

 

The Hanging Gardens are said to have formed a square, with an area of nearly four acres, and rose in terraces, supported on masonry arches, to a height of 75 feet. They were irrigated from a reservoir built at the top, to which water was lifted from the Euphrates by a screw. Fountains and banqueting-rooms were distributed throughout the numerous terraces; groves and avenues of trees, as well as parterres of flowers, diversified the scene; whilst the view of the city and neighborhood was extensive and magnificent.