Liam Blok Humanities 6 11/9/2012

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon

The city of Babylons earliest record was as a city state sometime after the of the Akkadians. After the fall of the Akkadians the Babylonians started to rise. This was the beginning of their first empire. They had very fertile lands in their area, and that was an advantage. The first empire fell after about 200 years. The Second empire rose under King Nebuchadnezzar II. It was then that the hanging gardens arose. They were huge. so Were the Hanging Gardens designed to resist water and, if so, how did they resist water? The Hanging Gardens were designed for King Nebuchadnezzar IIs homesick queen from Medea, Amyitis. They were described by the Greek geographers Strabo and Diodorus Siculus, a Greek historian. It was and still is disputed if the gardens existed or not. However, in 1899 a German Archaeologist, Robert Koldewey, dug at the site of Ancient Babylon and found many of it features, including what is believed to be the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. The reason he thought this was that he found holes that he believed let chain pumps carry water[in-text citation, please]. The structure was much smaller than ancient descriptions of them even so they are most likely what's left of the gardens. Robert Koldewey discovered what is believed to be the holes that let chain pumps carry water to the top of the structure. It is almost certain that the gardens were tall because almost all accounts say that they were massive ,huge structures. The water was carried to the top by chain pumps and it then flowed down through channels to the bottom. Water was brought in by a nearby canal or waterway and probably brought through the center. The water then flowed down through small canals and waterfalls, making beautiful and irrigating the plants. Some say that the plants were taken from Amyitis homeland. Most accounts say that the gardens were made out of mud brick, therefore meaning they probably were not waterproof.

The gardens were great monuments and if they do not exist they still are forever part of history. It is such a shame that they were never rebuilt after their destruction. From my research, it seems that the gardens were not waterproof therefore meaning. As a result, they would have to be repaired every now and then. If more proof is found

then maybe most would agree, but until then it is unknown and in between fact and legend. Little is known about them, but they are still a wonder.

Sources
"Hanging Gardens of Babylon." Hanging Gardens of Babylon. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Nov. 2012. <http://www.personal.psu.edu/amp5364/HangingGardens.html>. "The Hanging Gardens of Babylon." The Hanging Gardens of Babylon. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Nov. 2012. <http://www.cleveleys.co.uk/wonders/gardensofbabylon.htm>. "DK Eyewitness Books: Mesopotamia [Hardcover]." DK Eyewitness Books: Mesopotamia: Philip Steele, John Farndon: 9780756629724: Amazon.com: Books. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Nov. 2012. <http://www.amazon.com/Eyewitness-Books-Mesopotamia-PhilipSteele/dp/0756629721>. "The Second Babylonian Empire and the Median Empire." Education.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Nov. 2012. <http://www.education.com/study-help/article/ancient-history-second-babylonianempire/>.