7+Wonders-+Hanging+Gardens+of+Babylon

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= Hanging Gardens of Babylon: By Michela Cholak and Kaylie Haberstroh =

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Believed to have been located around the city of Baghdad, Iran, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon were quite a sight. Set on a terrace 75 feet above the ground ("7 Wonders of the Ancient World 328"), this mountain-like structure has been a mystery to ancient people for years. Even today its unique design puzzles historians. Due to the fact that the remains of this structure have not been found, it is a mystery whether or not it even existed.

**A Beloved Wife **

King Nebuchadnezzar II had a wife that grew saddened by the dry, hot climate of Babylon, and longed for the comfort of her beautiful, mountainous homeland. Therefore, she could not adjust to the desert-like terrain of Babylon. King Nebuchadnezzar cared for his wife enough that he decided to build her a garden so massive that the size is uncertain, but believed to be 400 hundred square feet and 75 feet above the ground!(“Leacroft 29”) The king imported exotic plants and animals for the garden from all over the world!(" The Hanging Gardens of Babylon ")

**A Great Queen**



It is possible that the wondrous configuration was built by the honored Queen Semiramis. Semiramis is a well-known ruler of Assyria, and is rumored to have been responsible for the construction of the gardens. Though, no convincing stories exist to confirm the matter. The idea must be counted, because the gardens are sometimes referred to as “The Hanging Gardens of Semiramis”. (“All About Ancient Wonders”) It is unknown why the gardens were built by Semiramis, and her existence is even questioned occasionally. It is much more likely that Nebuchadnezzar II was the one who built the gardens. ("Queen Semiramis, 811-808 BC")

**The Structure**

 Although called the "hanging" gardens, it is much more likely that the large plants and trees overhung the terraces and grew up from them instead. The word "hanging" was derived from the Greek word "kremastos" or the Latin word "pensilis", which mean more "overhanging" than just "hanging". This suggests that the terraces were hanging over themselves.("All About Ancient Wonders") For pedestrians walking by, it would look to them as if the trees were hanging over thier heads. This, of course, was simply an illusion, apparently unnoticed by the people of Babylon. (Hanging Gardens of Babylon, Babylon (Iraq), 600BC)

**A Green Thumb**

To keep this enormous garden thriving, the king had to make sure that the plants got enough water. Slaves worked in shifts turning screws to lift water from the Euphrates River. The Babylonians took water straight from the river; they had created their own irrigation system just for this garden. King Nebuchadnezzar must have really loved his wife (or she was just //really// pretty)! ("The Hanging Gardens of Babylon") Another method that was possibly used to water the garden was a conveyor belt to bring buckets of water from the river into the pools and waterfalls located amongst the vast structure. This would be less work for everyone involved. ("All About Ancient Wonders")

**The Funky Chain Pump**

“A chain pump is two large wheels, one above the other, connected by a chain. On the chain are hung buckets. Below the bottom wheel is a pool with the water source. As the wheel is turned, the buckets dip into the pool and pick up water. The chain then lifts them to the upper wheel, where the buckets are tipped and dumped into an upper pool. The chain then carries the empty buckets back down to be refilled.”(“The Hanging Gardens of Babylon”) This is the method historians believe the Babylonians used to water to Hanging Gardens instead of the Screw Pump.

In the End...

It is believed that The Hanging Gardens were not destroyed by earthquakes, as commonly stated, but wore down by erosion and war. The ponderous building was most likely weakened by weather. Over the course of 600 or 700 years, the entire structure had been brought to the ground. ("All About Ancient Wonders") Because of this, the gardens are the least documented out of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World. ("The Hanging Gardens of Babylon")

Citation

="All About Ancient Wonders" //Ancient World Wonders//. N.p., Oct. 2010. Web. [].= = = =Author Unknown."The Hanging Gardens of Babylon."//The Hanging Gardens of Babylon.// []=

="Hanging Gardens of Babylon, Babylon (Iraq), 600BC." //7ww.org//. N.p., 2009. Web. [].=

=Lee Krystek."The Hanging Gardens of Babylon."//The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.// [] (1998-2010)= = = =Leacroft, Helen, and Richard Leacroft. //The Buildings of Ancient Mesopotamia//. Reading, Mass.: Brockhampton Press, 1974. 29. Print. = = = ="Queen Semiramis, 811-808 BC." //The Hanging Gardens of Babylon//. N.p., n.d. Web. [].= = = ="The 7 Wonders of the Ancient World" World Book. 2010 ed. 2010.= = =