When Was the Garden of Babylon Built?
The Garden of Babylon was built in about 600 BC.
Where is the Garden of Babylon Located?
The Garden of Babylon was on the east bank of Euphrates River, about 50 kms south of Baghdad, Iraq.
What is the History of Garden of Babylon?
Ancient stories say King Nebuchadnezzar built the garden for his homesick wife, Amyitis who had come from green, rugged land with mountains. Babylon was flat, dry and far from green. The Hanging Garden probably didn't hang. The description comes from the Greek word "kremastos" or the Latin word "pensilis," which means "overhanging" like on a balcony or terrace. There are no records of the Hanging Garden from the time Nebuchadnezzer ruled, although there were tablets describing the palace, the city of Babylon and the walls. In fact, none of the historians who wrote about this magnificent garden even saw it. The garden might not have existed.
What Did the Garden of Babylon Look Like?
Whether the garden existed or not, this is how it has been described by ancient Greek sources: "The hanging garden has plants cultivated above ground level, and the roots of the trees are embedded in an upper terrace rather than in the earth. The whole mass is supported on stone columns. The grass is permanently green and the leaves of trees grow firmly attached to supple branches." Exotic flowers and plants covered the terraces. Shade came from cypress trees and palms and there was a rich smell of aromatic plants and flowers in the air. Nebuchadnezzar had every kind of tree and plant you can think of.
How Did They Water the Garden of Babylon
They couldn't just turn the sprinkler on back then so how did the plants survive? One of the most amazing parts of the garden is the watering system. Water from the nearby Euphrates River was lifted far into the air so it could flow down the terraces, watering the several levels of trees and flowers. This was probably done with a chain pump. Two large wheels, connected by a chain, turned and the buckets dipped into a pool and picked up water. The chain then lifted the buckets to the upper wheel where the water was tipped into an upper pool. The empty buckets kept turning and ended up back in the bottom pool. There is no evidence to support this theory, and there's no evidence that says the garden even existed. Regardless, the garden sounds impressive. It makes you wonder, did it remind Amyitis of her home land?
