Hanging Gardens of Babylon: myth or ancient engineering marvel? Hanging Gardens of Babylon: description and history.

At present, 90 km from the modern capital of Iraq - Bogdad, there are the ruins of the ancient city of the East - Babylon. This city, as described in the Bible: "A great city ... a strong city" - was in the 9th-6th centuries BC the most beautiful and richest city of the Ancient East.

Rich temples, magnificent palaces, impregnable fortress walls with crenellated towers adorned it. But the most significant decoration was the Hanging Gardens. They, like a fabulous green hill, towered among the sun-scorched Mesopotamian desert plain.

The Greeks called them the second classic wonder of the world. ancient world. To this day, information about the Hanging Gardens of Babylon from some ancient Greek scientists has been preserved. The ancient Greek traveler Strabo (“father of geography” - 64 BC - 19 AD), describing this fantastic building, referred to oral legends that existed 500 years ago.

The ancient Greek philosopher, writer Philo of Alexandria (25 BC - 50 AD), having studied the earliest information of ancient authors, and preserved technical descriptions hanging structures that existed in ancient times, for example, "Hanging Boulevard" on about. Cnidus also described the Hanging Gardens in Babylon.

About Queen Semiramis

The ancient Greek "father of history" Herodotus (5th century AD) and the ancient Greek historian Diodorus Siculus (first century new era) the construction of the "Hanging Gardens" in Babylon, was attributed to the Assyrian queen Shammuramat (gr. Semiramis - Semiramis), who ruled in Babylon in 810-782 BC. e.

There were many legends about her life, one of them was told to us by Diodorus Siculus. In ancient times, the city of Ascalon existed in Syria, near which there was a deep lake. On its shore stood the temple of the Goddess Derketo. This Goddess was similar in appearance to a fish, but had a human head.

Aphrodite (for some unknown reason) became angry with her and made her fall in love with a beautiful mortal youth. Derketo had a daughter. Enraged by this unequal marriage, Derketo killed the young man and left the girl, disappeared into the lake.

The girl grew up among a flock of pigeons: they warmed her with their wings, brought her milk in their beaks. By chance, the shepherds saw this beautiful child and took it to Simmas, the caretaker of the royal flocks. This kind person He called her Semiramis (the Syrians mean "dove"), raised and raised her as her own daughter.

Years have passed. Once I came to these parts business trip Onnes is the first royal adviser. Seeing this beautiful young girl, he fell in love, asking for her hand in Simmas, married and took her to Nineveh. Onnis loved his wise woman very much, beautiful wife always consulted with her in everything. And success accompanied him.

Soon the king of Nineveh began a war with Batria. Despite his large, well-armed army, he was unable to capture the capital of this country. Then Onnis asked his beautiful wife to visit the battlefield. Having familiarized himself with the situation, Semiramis with volunteers suddenly attacked precisely the heavily fortified part of the city. Here, in her opinion, really was the weakest defense.

The city capitulated. Admired by the beauty, wisdom and courage of Semiramis, the king generously endowed her. And he began to persuade Onnis to voluntarily give her to him as a wife. When Onnis refused, the king threatened him with reprisals. Suffering from the love of his wife, and from the threats of the king, Onnis committed suicide.

Returning to Nineveh, the king married Semiramis. After the death of her husband, Semiramis inherited the throne, despite the fact that they had a son, Niny. Then one more of her talents was revealed - government. By her order, Babylon was surrounded by impregnable walls with towers. A bridge was built across the Euphrates River. A magnificent temple was erected in Bela. An underground tunnel was laid, through which water was brought from the distant mountain lakes from the capital. Through the ridges of the Zagrozskaya chain, a very convenient road was laid connecting Babylon with Lydia.

In Lydia, the capital Ektaban was built with a magnificent royal palace. The court of Semiramis was beautiful and fabulously rich. But her son Ninia was tired of an idle, inglorious life, and he organized a conspiracy against his mother. Semiramis, voluntarily renounced power, passing it to her son, turned into a dove and flew away to distant lands with a flock of doves.

Creating Hanging Gardens

Interestingly, the Greek writer Athenaeus of Naucratis (2nd century AD) described a more realistic version of the life of Semiramis. He wrote that at first it was an ordinary, unremarkable court lady at the court of the Assyrian king. But her extraordinary beauty charmed the king, and he married her. Semiramis persuaded her husband to give her power for only five days ...

On the very first day, she arranged magnificent feasts, attracted to her side the king's close associates, military leaders, dignitaries, and noble people. On the second day she sent her husband to prison, seized the throne and retained her power until her old age. During her reign, she accomplished many great deeds. Deodorus concludes that there are precisely such conflicting accounts by historians of the life of Semiramis. But still, it was a real historical figure.

But not on the orders of Semiramis, the "Hanging Gardens in Babylon" were built. Archaeological research has proven that they were created several centuries after her reign, and were dedicated to another, not at all legendary woman. However, until the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th centuries, some historians generally believed that the Hanging Gardens in Babylon were nothing more than a beautiful legend, a fantasy of ancient authors.

But in 1899-1914, the German archaeologist Robert Koldewey, who had been excavating in Babylon for several years, found both the ruins of the Royal Palace and the remains of the four-tiered Terraces. So it was established that the Hanging Gardens were built in the 7th century BC, during the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar II in Babylon (605-562 BC).

The history of the creation of these beautiful gardens is interesting. The king of Babylon (father of Nebuchadnezzar II) and the king of Media entered into a military alliance. And to strengthen it, Prince Nebuchadnezzar II and Princess Amiitis (daughter of the King of Media) got married. The young princess admired the grandeur, wealth and beauty of Babylon.

But soon, she began to miss the green, shady forests of her homeland in a stuffy and dusty city surrounded by impregnable stone walls. Having come to power, Nebuchadnezzar II ordered for his beloved wife to build a green oasis - "Hanging Gardens", which would remind her of her beloved homeland.

Hanging Garden Arrangement

Based on archaeological excavations, it has been established that the gardens were located on four-tiered artificial stepped terraces attached to the huge royal palace. Each terrace towered one above the other by 27-30 m. This allowed the plants to receive a lot of light for their good growth and development. The terraces supported high powerful colonnades that were located inside each floor.

Massive stone slabs served as the basis of the terraces. They were covered with a layer of reeds, poured with asphalt. Then, two layers of bricks were laid on a gypsum mortar (according to some sources, the brick was burned, according to others - unburned clay mixed with straw). Further, for reliable water resistance, a layer of sheet lead was laid. And then - such a layer of fertile land that not only shrubs and flowers could grow here, but also big trees with a strong root system.

The terraces were connected by a wide, gentle staircase, the steps of which were polished slabs of pink and white stone. She walked along the wall of the royal palace to the very top. At the top, above the Hanging Gardens, there was a huge pool. In plan, the Gardens had square sides, approximately equal to 12 meters, total area they amounted to about 15,000 m2.

From different countries of the world, trees and shrubs wrapped in wet matting were brought to Babylon on carts drawn by bulls. As well as seeds of various flowers and herbs. And beautiful flowers, trees of different species bloomed and fragrant in these fabulous gardens. Outlandish birds, imported from overseas countries, sang and chirped. Luxurious palm trees, plane trees and cypresses were planted between the columns, which rose high above the walls of the royal palace.

The aroma and coolness of these gardens was carried by a cool Northeast wind. And all this seemed like a fabulous miracle to the inhabitants of Babylon. This huge royal palace, along with the Hanging Gardens, was surrounded by impregnable walls - there was only one entrance gate.

It was like a fortress, inside an impregnable stronghold - Babylon. And only those invited by the king could get into this fairy-tale world. When a warm night came in Babylon, the king and his guests walked along the alleys of the garden. Hundreds of torches lit the paths of the gardens and enchanting music sounded.

Garden Watering System

There are three assumptions about how the water was collected and supplied to irrigate these gardens. First, water was supplied from the Euphrates River. Continuously, day and night, hundreds of slaves turned the water wheel with leather buckets, filling the huge upper pool.

The second - from deep wells, as Philo of Alexandria suggested, with the help of a pressure force created by a special device, through channels and spiral pipes, water was supplied to the upper pool. These channels and pipes were located in the piers and posts supporting the terraces. By the way, such deep wells were found by archaeologists at the beginning of the 20th century.

Thirdly, it is possible that water could also be collected at each level of terraces made of crushed stone (stone) heaps capable of condensing water from the air (their description is given in the article ""). After watering the plants, the excess water that remained in the upper pool flowed out onto the stones in small streams, sparkling in the sun's rays, forming fabulous cascades and waterfalls.

Conclusion

hanging gardens- this is the most complex grandiose structure, which was served by thousands of slaves. They planted and cared for flowers, trees, cut bushes. Controlled the operation of the irrigation system. Torchbearers were responsible for lighting the gardens. For the guests of the king, invisible musicians performed enchanting melodies.

The ancient Greek historian Herodotus wrote that back in the 5th century BC. e. The Hanging Gardens at Babylon were in good condition. Later, in 331 BC. e. they were admired by Alexander the Great, who, having defeated the troops of the last Persian king Darius the third, decided to declare Babylon the capital of his "World Empire".

But his dream did not come true. According to legend, in June 323 BC. e., fleeing from the scorching sun in the chambers located in the lower tier of these gardens, he spent last days own life. And in a golden sarcophagus, his ashes were sent to the city he founded - Alexandria. Time… Inexorably fast flowing time gradually destroyed the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.

After 2000 years, like the city of Babylon, they were finally destroyed by the floods of the Euphrates, during which the water of this river rose over 4 meters. Centuries have passed ... but even today the ruins of this ancient city speak of his former greatness. Arseny Tarkovsky dedicated the following lines to him:

"It's impossible to go back there,

and you can't tell.

How filled with bliss

this garden of paradise.

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon were built around the 5th century BC by the Babylonian ruler Nebuchadnezzar II. Today, probably, there is not a single person who has not heard of them, although the gardens themselves have long ceased to exist. This building is one of the Seven Wonders of the World, a list of which was compiled back in the days of Ancient Greece. What made the Greeks consider them miracles? Where are these gardens? Here are some interesting questions to answer.

Mysteries of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon

Firstly, it is immediately evident that the name "Hanging Gardens of Babylon" is not always accepted by researchers as the only correct one. Some believe that Semiramis was not the wife of the king who brought her from distant Media, but the local Assyrian queen. Others say that Nebuchadnezzar built them in honor of a completely different woman, while his wife's name was Nina. In the West, the name "hanging gardens of Babylon" took root, after the name of the city where they were located for such a long time.

Secondly, it is not clear how long these gardens lasted. If Nebuchadnezzar died in 561 BC, and Alexander the Great visited them shortly before his death in 309 BC, then it turns out that the "miracle" lasted more than 250 years. This is all the more surprising since the gardens are in fact a complex technical structure that required daily care. Historians write that hundreds of slaves every day lifted here with the help of special devices tens of thousands of water containers.

Why the Hanging Gardens of Babylon is one of the seven wonders of the world

In general, this building could easily be considered a miracle even today, if it had survived to this time. Imagine that only the height of the lower columns was 25 meters, and this is the height of a nine-story building! The rest of the building rested on these columns - a huge four-tier pyramid, with a real evergreen garden planted on its slopes. Indeed, the impression of such a magnitude could take the breath away from anyone who saw this miracle. To top it all off, imagine a bleak sandy-rocky area where there is not a single spot of greenery, and in the middle of this, a towering man-made oasis, shining with the beauty and magnificence of nature.

In fact, the gardens of Babylon are, in fact, a palace. With columns, terraces, rooms, stairs. There were more than 170 rooms in it alone! And although the building itself was not so big in terms of area, but the whole territory with a wall, a moat with water occupied a significant space. A real garden was planted on each tier. Almost everyone grew up here. deciduous trees, most shrubs and flowers.

What happened to the construction of Nebuchadnezzar

After the death of Nebuchadnezzar, the gardens gradually fell into disrepair. The Babylonian kingdom itself was being destroyed, which means that there was no longer the material and financial support that was needed to keep this structure in order. First, the gardens dried up, and gradually the whole palace fell into disrepair. Severe flood in the 1st century BC the walls were washed away, and they collapsed along with the rest of the building. Time and water completed the destruction, and now only a small pile of stones and the remains of a foundation near modern city Hilla in Iraq.

Hanging gardens in Babylon are an example of how aesthetically you can organize any area using natural beauty plants. There are only a small number of hanging gardens of any significance in the world today, although on a small scale such a work of art can be organized even in your own estate. Instead, it is of increasing importance landscape design, which is guided by the same principles of the unity of nature and the skill of man. Experienced specialists are able to create a "wonder of the world", but already, as it were, in a horizontal plane, to transform a personal plot into an oasis with beautiful small architectural forms.

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon is the most mysterious structure of all the Wonders of the World. Scholars even doubt whether they were real or whether they were just a figment of someone's imagination, diligently rewritten from annals to annals.

It is interesting that those who did not see the Gardens at all turned out to be the most diligent in describing this miracle, and those who visited Babylon remain silent on this matter. In the cuneiform tablets of Babylon there is also no mention of the Gardens. Therefore, it is now difficult to say with certainty whether they existed or not. Moreover, the ancient historians of neighboring states wove into one ball the semi-mythical Semiramis, who reigned two hundred years before Nebuchadnezzar, and himself, along with the Hanging Gardens, and also attributed the Gardens "hanging", although according to all descriptions, this is just a multi-storey building with continuous landscaping .

According to legend, the history of the emergence of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon is as follows.

They were built by Nebuchadnezzar in the 6th century BC for his beloved, the Median princess Amitis. Babylon in those years was a noisy, dusty city, and the young queen, suffering from the contrast of the capital with her native side, fragrant with green spaces, often complained about headache, malaise and lack of tone. loving husband Nebuchadnezzar was faced with a dilemma - to move the city closer to Media or to make his wife's stay in Babylon more comfortable. There was no particular choice, and the local engineers and wise men were given the task of the fastest solution problems of landscaping the capital.

The best minds of Babylon have developed a plan for improvement. From an engineering point of view, the structure was as follows: four floors on columns 25 meters high, ceilings in the form of brick vaults, reeds with asphalt over them, then lead plates, then black earth, then the greenery itself, which the king ordered to collect from all over Media. AT general view the structure was similar to a stepped pyramid, having a base of approximately 42 by 34 meters. Probably, birds and butterflies fluttered between the trees, and bees flew around the flowers. Hanging gardens could not compare with the nature of Media, but Queen Amitis strolled contentedly along the alleys, finally saying goodbye to blues and nostalgia.

Gardens, due to their fragility and critical dependence on water and care, did not last long - about two hundred years. As the legend says, they began to collapse almost immediately after the death of Alexander the Great, who rested in them.

The reconstructions that you can see below have nothing to do with the gardens of Babylon - they are just the fantasies of artists of various centuries on this topic.

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The beautiful gardens of Babylon are legendary. And although this work of ancient art has not been preserved, even now, after more than 2 millennia, it continues to excite the minds and imagination of scientists and ordinary history buffs.

There are two versions of the origin of the gardens of Babylon.

According to one of them, the gardens were created by the Assyrian ruler Semiramis in the 8th century BC. e.

According to another, they were arranged by King Nebuchadnezzar II for his wife Amitis.

Most researchers are inclined to the second version, and the appearance of the name of Semiramis in the name is explained by the combination of the images of Amitis and Semiramis, since the latter legend is credited with many merits, up to the founding of Babylon and the creation of the pyramids.

Queen Amitis, the daughter of King Cyaxares of Media, who grew up in a mountainous and flourishing country, was bored in the sands of Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar, who loves her, wanted to create for his wife an island similar to her homeland and even surpassing Media in the splendor of vegetation.

By his order, the construction of a beautiful garden began, on which all the forces and means of Babylon were thrown.

From the 7th century BC e. to the 1st century AD h. it was the largest, most significant and richest city of the Ancient East.

The garden was arranged in four tiers, like a pyramid.

It is possible that these floors were supported by monumental columns and were completely planted. According to another version, the tiers lay on top of each other, there were technical rooms inside, and the plants were located on all sides of the “pyramid” on the ledges of the tiers.

A sophisticated irrigation system supported the necessary conditions for the growth of trees and flowers brought here from all over the world. Seeds, seedlings and adult plants were delivered from everywhere for a beautiful garden, specially placed in wet matting so that they would not dry out on the way.

It is not so much the park in the middle of the desert that is amazing, but the thoughtful mechanism of its life support.

The irrigation system was a complex mechanism.

Buckets moved on two large wheels. Under the lower wheel was located the lower pool, from which water was scooped up.

Then, along a chain of lifts, the buckets were lifted to the upper wheel, and there the water overflowed into the upper pool, from where it flowed in streams and channels along all four tiers.

Slaves were most likely used to fill the lower basin with water. Hundreds of slaves, day and night, passed along the chain water from the Euphrates in special leather bags.

Given such abundant irrigation, the question arises: what was the foundation of the Hanging Gardens made of?

Indeed, in Babylon, brick was used for construction - a mixture of clay and straw, burned in the sun. Such a brick is intended only for arid areas.

There was no own stone in Babylon. Historians suggest that the stone was brought for the foundation of the hanging gardens from another area.

During archaeological excavations in 1989, Robert Koldewey discovered ruins in the form of tiers with arched vaults made of stone slabs in the southern part of the citadel.

Since stone was used in Babylon only in two places - in the northern part of the citadel and, according to the Greek historian Diodorus, in the foundation of the hanging gardens, we can assume that the hanging gardens of Babylon were found.

Ruins of Babylon

Today, tourists are shown the ruins of Babylon, which lie on the territory of modern Iraq, 90 kilometers from Baghdad. Among them are the ruins of the legendary gardens.

According to the discovered parts of the building, their appearance was reconstructed. But even after such a find, disputes between skeptics and defenders of the version of the existence of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon do not subside. Until now, this bold project is doubted by some and admired by others.

Hanging Gardens of Babylon located in ancient Babylon. The creation of this wonder of the world was previously associated with Queen Semiramis. At present, it is believed that the construction of this miracle of technical thought was carried out by the king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar II. After reading the article, you will learn the history of this wonder of the world, and students will find information for the report.

Where were the Hanging Gardens of Babylon

Hanging Gardens of Babylon in Babylon were built under King Nebuchadnezzar II, and their ruins were discovered by the German archaeologist Robert Koldewey. Being engaged in excavations of ancient Babylon since 1899, one day he stumbles upon a strange structure, not typical for this area. So, for example, the vaults had a different shape, they were lined with stone instead of ordinary brick, there were underground structures, and most importantly, a interesting system water supply from three mines.

This is what they look like:

Obviously, a building of this type was used for some special purpose. Koldewey had to find out. He was able to understand that the whole structure was a kind of water lift for continuous water supply to the top. He was helped by the mentions of the writers of antiquity, which said that the stone in Babylon was used in only two places. One of them, at the northern wall of Qasr, the archaeologist managed to find earlier. Another place was semi-legendary, it was about finding one of the 7 wonders of the world. That's how Koldewey managed to find out Where were the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.

The main mentions of antiquity about the gardens of Babylon are associated with the name of the Greek Ctesias. But due to the exaggerations and fantasies noticed behind him, almost all of our information about this wonder of the world is controversial and unreliable.

In antiquity, the image of Semiramis pops up quite often. According to many legends, she was a brave warrior and had excellent architectural taste. According to one of the legends, she was the daughter of the mermaid Atargatis, who is the moon goddess, and ordinary person. According to other stories, Semiramis was left by her parents from birth, and pigeons were engaged in her upbringing.

In fact, the Greeks understood the name of Semiramis as the Assyrian queen Shammuramat, who lived around 800 BC. After the death of her husband Shamshi-Adad V, she had to take power completely into her own hands, until her son came of age. But even after his accession to the royal throne, Shammuramat retained the title of queen. And it is no coincidence that the state was strengthened under her, the borders were expanded by conquering Media.

For whom were the Hanging Gardens of Babylon built?

But still, the wonder of the world - , according to modern researchers, could not be associated with Shammuramat itself. According to a more truthful version, this miracle was presented to the wife of Nebuchadnezzar II Amitis two hundred years after the reign of Semiramis. According to legend, Nebuchadnezzar for the war with Assyria made an alliance with the king of Media. After the victory, to strengthen the alliance, he married the daughter of the Median king.

But life in the desert Babylon was incomparable with the mountainous and green Media. To please and comfort his wife, Nebuchadnezzar ordered these evergreen gardens to be built in the city. So the full name of this building is most likely “Amitis Hanging Gardens”.

Hanging Gardens of Babylon: interesting facts

Here are collected about the Babylonian Interesting Facts about Hanging Gardens of Babylon in Babylon.
They were a four-level building with many cool rooms richly decorated with plants. For their irrigation, a water lift was used, for the functioning of which the slaves had to turn the wheel. The vaults of the building at each level were supported by 25-meter columns. The terraces were laid out with tiles, filled with asphalt and covered with a layer of earth sufficient for growing even trees.