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Are
the gardens really hanging?
No, but
an effect of hanging has been created.
And how was this effect created? The gardens had terrace roofs the
access to which was through stairways built for the purpose. The hanging
gardens derived its name from plants that were cultivated above ground
level. The roots were embedded in terraces built for the purpose and not
directly on the ground.
Such
huge terraces needed solid support to withstand the weight of mud and
growing trees and plants. Therefore, these terraces were supported by huge
stone columns. Well it is not sufficient to plant trees at high levels for
them to grow; they needed to be watered regularly too. This problem was
solved by streams of water pouring out from water sources that were
elevated to the height of the terraces. Sloping channels were constructed
to bring down the water along structured paths so that they would reach
their intended destinations. Some historians have attributed the water
supply to water machines (pumps) that were well hidden. Waterfalls,
probably powered by the same source, dotted the gardens. Fruits and
flowers of many different varieties have been described in written
accounts. And such an abundance of nature is bound to have attracted
animals too. Exotic animals are believed to have lived here.
The
different views of archaeologists
The
kingdom of Babylon saw its best days during the rule of King Hammurabi who
ruled there from 1792 to 1750 BC. The
credit for building the hanging gardens goes to Nebuchadnezzar II (604-562
BC). The gardens are believed to have been built around 600 BC. It is
believed that the gardens were built in order to make the queen, who came
from a land that abounded in greenery, more at home. One wonders whether
she would have lived long enough to see all the trees grow to their
optimum height.
Massive
walls discovered by archaeologists, along the bank of the river Euphrates,
support the theory of the gardens being located there. However the
discovery of a vaulted building with thick walls and an irrigation well
near the palace supports the theory of the gardens having being located
there.
Another
possibility weighed by archaeologists has been this: Could the gardens
then have been located in the area stretching right from the riverbank to
the palace? In fact, some historians hold the view that it is possible
that the hanging gardens were a mere figment of imagination and that they
never existed. Many
historians put forth the view that glowing reports by Alexander’s
soldiers about Mesopotamia’s greenery, the description of the palace,
the tower of Babel and the ziggurats gave rise to a myth – the hanging
gardens – which no one who wrote about it or painted it ever saw! Such
arguments are based on the fact that there are no references to the
gardens in historical records of Babylon and records made by historians of
the period.
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