Hanging Gardens of Semiramis in Babylon. Hanging Gardens of Babylon: myth or ancient engineering marvel

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.

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 of the 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 called her Semiramis (among the Syrians it means "dove"), raised and raised her as 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 upper basin, flowed 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 richest and majestic city of the Ancient East. He was sung in legends, his splendor was told all over the world. The best merchants aspired here and simple people looking for a better life. was famous for its fine architectural creations and wealth.

But, perhaps, the main attraction of the city was Semiramis. They have become a legend and are considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

D about our time, the creation of gardens was considered fiction. First of all, she contributed to this. After all, even her own life was covered in legends.

Ancient historians said thatwas a simple court lady. But she had such divine beauty that she captivated the king himself, who later married the beauty. The cunning wife had such a strong influence on the king that she persuaded him to give her power for five days. Immediately after receiving it, Semiramis arranged a grand feast, at which she won over all the nobles to her side. And later she won the trust of the remaining subjects of the king, and imprisoned her husband in prison. The rules of Semiramis throughout life are autocratic.

However, there is a more truthful version of the existence of Semiramis. She was real historical figure although little is known about her life. It is believed that there were even several Semiramids. With which of them the Hanging Gardens of Babylon are specifically associated, it is difficult to say. And some historians call this name the daughter of King Beloch, who ruled at the end of the 8th century BC. e.

But really famous Semiramis associated with another woman - the wife of King Nebuchadnezzar II. During his reign, Babylon was at war with Assyria. In order to protect the state and strengthen the borders, the king entered into a military alliance with Media. And in order to strengthen the alliance, Nebuchadnezzar II married the daughter of the king of Media, Semiramis.

Media, unlike Babylon, was a flourishing state with green hills. In Babylon surrounded by sands, Semiramis got bored. Therefore, Nebuchadnezzar II ordered the Hanging Gardens to be built for his wife.

Semiramis was a pyramid, consisting of four tiers, supported by 25 meter columns. Each tier was covered with fertile soil, in which seeds of various flowers, herbs, shrubs and trees were planted. The tiers were connected by beautiful staircases of white and pink stone. Inside one of the columns there was a pipe, through which water rose from the Euphrates to the upper tier, from where it flowed in small streams and waterfalls.

The ever-blooming exotic flowers, the green grass, the singing of the birds and the murmur of the water made an indelible impression. The news of the creation of gardens and their beauty spread throughout the world. In the sultry sands of Babylon, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon became a true miracle.

But during the Persian domination, the palace was empty. Later, Alexander the Great moved here and made Babylon the capital of his empire. And after his death, everything here fell into decay.

Found by German archaeologist Robert Koldewey. In 1887 he was excavating Babylonia. Comparing his findings with the records of ancient scientists and information on cuneiform tablets, Robert came to the conclusion that he had found the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. This is how one of the greatest discoveries of all times.

Unfortunately, even the remains of the legendary gardens have not come down to us. They were destroyed by the floods of the Euphrates. You can only imagine how this wonderful architectural creation looked like from the records of historians and with the help of your own imagination.

Where are the Hanging Gardens of Babylon located?

Today you can see only the ruins of Babylon, located 20 km from Baghdad. You can get here by car.

The term "Hanging Gardens of Babylon" is familiar to any schoolchild, mainly as the second most important structure of the Seven Wonders of the World. According to the legends and mentions of ancient historians, the ruler of Babylon Nebuchadnezzar II built them for his wife in the 6th century BC. Today, the gardens and the palace are completely destroyed by both man and the elements. Due to the lack of direct evidence of their existence, there is always no official version about their location and date of construction.

Description and alleged history of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon

A detailed description is found in the ancient Greek historians Diodorus and Stabo, clear details were provided by the Babylonian historian Beross (3rd century BC). According to them, in 614 BC. e. Nebuchadnezzar II makes peace with the Medes and marries their princess Amitis. Growing up in the mountains full of greenery, she was horrified by the dusty and stone Babylon. To prove his love and console her, the king orders the construction of a grandiose palace with terraces for trees and flowers to begin. Simultaneously with the start of construction, merchants and warriors from campaigns began to deliver seedlings and seeds to the capital.

The four-tier structure was located at a height of 40 m, so it was visible far beyond the walls of the city. The area indicated by the historian Diodorus is striking: according to his data, the length of one side was about 1300 m, the second - a little less. The height of each terrace was 27.5 m, the walls were supported by stone columns. The architecture was not remarkable, the main interest was the green spaces on each level. To care for them, slaves brought water upstairs, flowing in the form of waterfalls to the lower terraces. The irrigation process was continuous, otherwise the gardens would not have survived in that climate.

It is still not clear why they were named after Queen Semiramis, and not Amitis. Semiramis - the legendary ruler of Assyria lived two centuries earlier, her image was practically deified. Perhaps this was reflected in the works of historians. Despite many contradictions, the existence of gardens is beyond doubt. Mentions of this place are found among the contemporaries of Alexander the Great. It is believed that he died in this place, which struck his imagination and reminded him of his native country. After his death, the gardens and the city itself fell into disrepair.

Where are the gardens now?

Nowadays, this unique building is gone. significant footprints. The ruins indicated by R. Koldewey (an explorer of ancient Babylon) differ from other ruins only in stone slabs in the basement and are of interest only to archaeologists. To visit this place, you must go to Iraq. Travel agencies organize excursions to the ancient ruins, located 90 km from Baghdad near the modern city of Hill. In the photo of our days, only clay hills covered with brown debris are visible.

An alternative version is offered by the Oxford researcher S. Dalli. She claims that the Hanging Gardens of Babylon were built in Nineveh (modern Mosul in northern Iraq) and shifts the date of construction two centuries earlier. Currently, the version is based only on the decipherment of cuneiform tables. To find out in which country the gardens were located - the Babylonian kingdom or Assyria, additional excavations and studies of the mounds of Mosul are required.

Interesting facts about the Hanging Gardens of Babylon

• According to the descriptions of ancient historians, stone was used to build the foundations of terraces and columns, which is absent in the vicinity of Babylon. It and fertile land for trees were brought from afar.
• It is not known for certain who created the gardens. Historians mention the joint work hundreds of scientists and architects. In any case, the irrigation system has surpassed everything known to technology time.
• Plants were brought from all over the world, but planted taking into account their growth in vivo: on the lower terraces - ground, on the upper - mountain. Plants from her homeland were planted on the upper platform, beloved by the queen.
• The location and time of creation are constantly disputed, in particular, archaeologists find pictures on the walls with images of gardens dating back to the 8th century BC. e. To this day, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon are among the secrets of Babylon that have not been fully revealed.

Hanging Gardens of Babylon. One of the seven wonders of the world. From the school bench we know everything and nothing about them. What did they look like? Who was their genius creator? What idea did you want to convey to posterity with your immortal creation?

SIMPLY LEGEND

The ancient historian Ctesias told the world the following legend: in ancient times, the city of Ascalon stood in Syria, not far from it was beautiful lake, on the bank of which towered the temple of the goddess Derketo. Beloved Derketo was a beautiful young shepherd. Derketo bore him a daughter, and they lived in peace and harmony. But one day, in anger, the goddess killed her husband, and herself, beside herself from grief, hid in the waters of the lake.

Baby. orphaned, rescued by the birds. They warmed her with their warmth, brought milk in their beaks. When the baby grew up, they began to feed her with cheese.

One day, the shepherds, suspecting something was wrong, went on the trail of pigeons and soon found a beautiful child. They took the girl to the caretaker of the royal herds named Simmas, He raised her as his own daughter and named Semiramis, which means "dove". With her beauty, the girl eclipsed everyone in the great kingdom of the formidable Assyrians! which determined her future fate.

First, Semiramis became the wife of the royal adviser Onnes. But when the ruler saw her, he fell in love with unconsciousness and took her away from her unfortunate husband. Onnes, unable to bear the separation from his beloved, went crazy. But the royal husband of Semiramis did not live long. Died after 3 months. It was then that Semiramis ascended the throne.

This amazing woman became the inspirer and organizer of the construction of many brilliant architectural structures and, above all, hanging gardens. But while the queen was engaged in the construction of grandiose palaces and temples, her son Niny also built ... plans to seize power. Realizing that death awaits her at the hands of her own son, or rather, his mercenaries, the queen turned into a dove and flew away.

Here is such a story. However, she is nothing more than a legend. The historian Ctesias himself emphasized this more than once.

SACRED Z NANIA ABOUT THE SEVEN WORLDS

In fact, the famous Hanging Gardens were built by King Nebuchadnezzar for his beloved wife Amitis, who was suffocating in dusty and stuffy Babylon. It was he who destroyed Jerusalem, captivating almost all the inhabitants of Judea, it was he who captured the territory of Syria and Palestine, conquered the Assyrian state.

However, Nebuchadnezzar was not only a warrior, but also a creator. Having brought order to his vast empire, he set about building magnificent palaces, temples and canals. The gardens of Babylon became the crown of architectural structures created during his reign.

But, erecting them, Nebuchadnezzar thought not only about how to please Amitis with the murmur of streams dear to her heart and lush greenery.

He owned the greatest city ancient world famous for its sages. And the main mystery of Babylon was associated with the names of Tammuz and Ishtar. Tammuz. being the god of the sun, he was both the son and husband of the goddess Ishtar. The essence of the mysteries was that Ishtar resurrected Tammuz, who was killed by evil forces. Esoterically, this meant the immortality of the soul, its exit from a dead body, a journey through other existence and a new incarnation.

The myth of Ishtar symbolizes the journey of the soul through the seven worlds, seven heavens, seven sacred planets. After which she enters physical body, in which her ordeals begin. And then again rise and aspiration to the divine beginning.

Naturally, the king of Babylon was familiar with these mysteries. That is why, starting the construction of gardens, he decided to embody in them the sacred knowledge about the seven worlds and the ascent of the soul.

GARDEN OF EDEN

Hanging gardens were laid out in the north-eastern part of the palace, on seven man-made terraces, which rested on huge vaults. The vaults were supported by massive columns located inside each floor. Special lead plates were designed to retain water.

The terraces were covered with a thick layer of the most fertile earth, in which even very large trees could take root. The floors of the gardens rose in ledges and were connected by gentle stairs covered with pink and white stone. The height of the floors reached 28 meters and gave enough light for the plants.

Each of the seven terraces was an independent garden, but together they formed a single whole. In summer, when the air temperature in Babylon exceeded 50 degrees, slaves continuously pumped water from wells and fed it into channels through which it flowed down from the upper terrace, forming systems of miniature waterfalls and streams.

From all parts of the Babylonian kingdom, carts drawn by bulls were drawn to the capital. They contained trees, seeds of rare herbs, flowers and shrubs...

IN SEARCH OF BABYLON

For a long, very long time, serious researchers doubted the existence of the gardens of Babylon. They were considered just a continuation of the legend. And so it was before late XIX century.

In 1898, on the banks of the ancient Euphrates, about 100 kilometers from Baghdad, the German archaeologist Robert Koldewey began searching for Babylon. And imagine - found! And leftovers Tower of Babel, and the ruins of powerful fortress walls that surrounded the city, and ... hanging gardens.

It was these three structures that the German Oriental Society ordered to find Koldeveya. The scientist spent 18 years to complete this task. In order to take out mountains of garbage and rubble from the excavation site, he even ordered a portable railway. It was impossible to do without her.

He dug out the Tower of Babel and the fortress walls relatively quickly. The scientist spent most of his time searching for the legendary gardens. And he was completely desperate to find them, when suddenly one day, in the northeastern corner of the vast palace complex, he stumbled upon a building that was unlike any he had seen before. The foundation consisted of 12 chambers, which were laid out of hewn stones. The massive vaults of the chambers, made of baked bricks, were designed to withstand heavy loads. The thickness of the walls and supports reached 7 meters.

Along with this construction, unusual for Babylon, Koldewey stumbled upon a spring, which he dug up at the very base of the vaulted structure. A scoop lift made of wood and thick ropes was connected to the source. The lift itself, of course, was not preserved.

Koldevey thought for a long time about the purpose of this basement arcade, and came to the idea of ​​the reality of hanging gardens. After all, both ancient sources and Mesopotamian cuneiform tablets said that in Babylon, hewn stones were used in the construction of two structures: the northern wall of the Babylonian palace and the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. He discovered the stone wall earlier, which means that in front of him was a great monument from an ancient legend ...

... Why, after all, the gardens are called the gardens of Babylon? Yes, because human memory has one amazing property: it connects the events of the distant past, separated in time. So the real Babylon and the gardens of Nebuchadnezzar are separated by 200 years. Their memory has endured for thousands of years. Apparently, they were truly amazing.