In the list of seven wonders of the world, the second wonder is considered Hanging Gardens of Babylon. This truly legendary structure was created in 605 BC. However, already in 562 BC. this architectural masterpiece was destroyed by floods.
Despite the well-established connection between the Hanging Gardens of Babylon and the name of the Assyrian queen, Semiramis, who lived around 800 BC, scientists consider this a misconception. In fact, the official version of the origin of this wonder of the world is as follows.
Nebuchadnezzar II fought against Assyria. In order to strengthen the army, an alliance was concluded with the Median king. After the destruction of the enemy, Nebuchadnezzar II decided to marry the daughter of the Median sovereign. But the dusty city of Babylon, standing essentially in the desert, could not be compared with the green and blooming Media.
It was for this reason that the ambitious ruler decided to build the Babylonian Hanging Gardens. By the way, the queen’s name was Amytis, so it would be more correct to call the second of the seven wonders of the world by this name. But the unforgettable Semiramis, who was also an extraordinary person, was entrenched in history, although she lived two centuries earlier.
Interesting facts about the Hanging Gardens of Babylon
Surprisingly, the unique building included in the building was not new at that time. It’s just that Nebuchadnezzar II, under whom many architectural masterpieces were built, managed to supply water to his hanging gardens in an unusual way.
An interesting fact is that the described structure consisted of four levels. Each of them had many cool rooms where the royal family walked during the heat of the day. The building's vaults were supported by 25-meter columns at each level. The fortified terraces were covered with earth, the thickness of which was sufficient for trees to grow there.
To prevent liquid from leaking to the lower floors, the platforms of each tier, consisting of huge slabs, were covered with leaves and covered with asphalt. Water was supplied upward using a specially designed mechanism pumping it from the Euphrates River.
To do this, the slaves turned a huge wheel, irrigating the Hanging Gardens of Babylon with a sufficient amount of moisture. The hundred-meter walls of Babylon and the crowns of trees towering above them instilled in everyone who saw this wonder of the world the thought of the power and strength of the kingdom. And proud Amytis, to whom this grandiose building was actually dedicated, enjoyed the greenery of flowering plants stretching for many kilometers around.
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The coat of arms of Dacians “Attacking Falcon” is now the Emblem of Ukraine Dacians The great Roman Trajan is reputed as the conqueror of the proud Dacians But the chronicle of Trajan is only a deception He got a slave *, and the glorious Dacian Went to the northeast to the Varangians And beyond the Prut** are either the Romans or the Turks Behind the rabble, blackness rose like a wave from the Dacians in that land (the “chocks” achieved it) Neither the appearance nor the spirit remained. And the glorious Dac, sweeping away the nomads, settled into new wild lands, cultivating them and protecting them, building fortresses on the rivers of Moldova, the glorious Dac began And in the east, Kyiv was founded - a city Beyond the Volga, beyond the Urals, then the Messiah left And gave faith to all the nomadic Varangians Moldova, Ukraine, all of Russia Great descendants of the glorious Dacians *slave - a person who dreams not of freedom, but of his own slaves. **Prut is a river that Trajan was able to reach and practically along which the “Trajan rampart” is designated. ***“chocks” are people who make incomprehensible sounds, whom the Slavs (especially the southwestern ones) usually shunned (in Rus' they were also called “Germans”). For reference: DACI (lat. Daci) is a group of Thracian tribes, descendants of the Aryans, who occupied the territory north of the Danube to the spurs of the Carpathian Mountains and east to the Dnieper (according to some sources, to the Crimea). Known to the Greeks already in the 5th century. BC e., and from the 1st century. BC e. The Romans came into direct contact with the Dacians. Dacian society was highly developed, although, apparently, not all tribes had the same level of development. The Dacians were engaged in agriculture and cattle breeding; They developed mining and metal processing, ceramic production using a potter's wheel. Already in the 5th and 4th centuries. BC e. The Dacians traded with Greek cities, and from the 1st century. BC e. - with Roman merchants; minted silver coins. Back in the middle of the 1st century. BC e. The Dacians, under the leadership of their king and leader Burebista, extended their power to the tribes of the Danube right bank and some of the Greek Western Pontic cities. Dacia reached its greatest prosperity under Decebalus, who united part of the Sarmatian tribes under his rule. Darius (the Persian king), Philip (the father of Alexander the Great) and the Macedonian himself tried unsuccessfully to conquer the Dacians (the Greeks called them Getae). The Dacians beat the enemy on their territory. Similar methods of fighting the invaders were then used by Stefan cel Mare (the Great), Ivan the Terrible, Peter the Great, and Kutuzov. During the 1st century. BC e. - 1st century n. e. The Romans also undertook a series of campaigns against the Dacians (under Augustus and Nero). Under Domitian, the war with the Dacians ended unsuccessfully for the Romans. Under the terms of peace (in 89), the Romans were obliged to pay the Dacians annual subsidies and provide them with Roman artisans and masters of “peaceful and military specialties.” The next and final stage of the Romans’ struggle with the Dacians occurred during the time of Trajan, when, as a result of wars in 101-102 and 105-106, part of Dacia (west of the Prut River), separated by the Trajan rampart, lost its independence and was turned into a Roman province. And this happened only because then for the first time the Dacians themselves unleashed a war of conquest and the moral advantage was on the side of the Romans. Those Dacians who remained in the occupied territory west of the Prut (Trajan Wall) were turned into slaves by the Romans. And the free or, as they called themselves, the glorious Dacians strengthened their positions east of the Prut and called this fortified area Molt-dava (Moldova, for molta - many and dava - fortress). The territory of the glorious Dacians then extended from the Prut to the Dnieper and even to the Crimea. Trajan's contemporaries described the Dacians this way: "... people of above average height, blond hair, blue eyes, wide nose. They are engaged in cattle breeding, agriculture and crafts. They live in log huts...". And these people have not disappeared anywhere. On the contrary, moving to the East, the glorious Dacians (later the Slavs) founded the fortress of Kyiv on the right bank of the Dnieper to protect against raids of barbarians from the East. And then the territory of the glorious Dacians or Slavs was called Kievan Rus, and the Coat of Arms of Dacians (attacking falcon) is still the state Coat of Arms of Ukraine (renamed the trident). In the 5th century The eastern part of the Roman Empire collapsed and the free Dacians again moved to the right bank of the Prut, pushing the Roman slaves, along with their (then already few) masters, to the West. In these territories, the Principality of Moldova (descendants of the glorious Dacians) and Wallachia (descendants of former slaves) were subsequently formed. In the middle of the second millennium, hordes of Ottomans constantly rolled into Moldova, but Stefan cel Mare skillfully held them back, destroying the Turks on his territory. As a rule, the Wallachians went to Moldova together with the Turks for booty. For this betrayal, Stefan burned Bucharest twice. Conquering Wallachia, Stefan did not annex it to Moldova, but appointed his cousin Vlad the Impaler (Dracula), then Vlad the Monk (son of the Impaler), to rule the Wallachians. Further events are described in some detail in the official chronicle.
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon were built around the 5th century BC by the Babylonian ruler Nebuchadnezzar II. Nowadays, there is probably not a single person who has not heard of them, although the gardens themselves have not existed for a long time. This structure 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 classify them as miracles? And where did these gardens go? These are questions to which it is interesting to look for answers.
Mysteries of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon
Firstly, it is immediately noticeable 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 a local Assyrian queen. Others say that Nebuchadnezzar built them in honor of a completely different woman, while his wife was named 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 unclear 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 actually complex technical structures that required daily maintenance. Historians write that hundreds of slaves lifted tens of thousands of water containers here every day with the help of special devices.
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 until 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 scale could take the breath away of anyone who saw this miracle. To top it all off, imagine a dull sandy and rocky area where there is not a single spot of greenery, and in the middle of it is a towering man-made oasis, shining with the beauty and splendor 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 large in area, the entire territory with a wall and a moat with water occupied a significant space. A real garden was planted on each tier. Almost all deciduous trees, most shrubs and flowers grew here.
What happened to Nebuchadnezzar's building?
After the death of Nebuchadnezzar, the gardens gradually fell into disrepair. The Babylonian kingdom itself was being destroyed, which means 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 entire palace fell into disrepair. Major 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 all that remains of the miracle is a small pile of stones and the remains of a foundation near the modern city of Hilla in Iraq.
The Hanging Gardens in Babylon are an example of how aesthetically any area can be organized using the natural beauty of 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, landscape design that is guided by the same principles of the unity of nature and human craftsmanship is increasingly important. Experienced specialists are able to create a “miracle of the world”, but as if in a horizontal plane, transforming a personal plot into an oasis with beautiful small architectural forms.
Hanging Gardens of Babylon were located on the territory of ancient Babylon. The creation of this wonder of the world was previously associated with Queen Semiramis. Currently, 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, and schoolchildren will find information for the report.
Also in Babylon there were many more interesting things:, and.
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. While excavating ancient Babylon since 1899, one day he stumbles upon a strange structure, not typical for the area. For example, the vaults had a different shape, were lined with stone instead of the usual brick, there were underground structures, and most importantly, an interesting water supply system from three mines was found.
This is what they look like:
It is obvious that a building of this type was used for some special purposes. Koldewey had to find out. He was able to understand that the entire structure was a kind of water lift for a continuous supply of water to the top. He was helped by references from ancient writers, who said that stone in Babylon was used in only two places. The archaeologist managed to discover one of them, near the northern wall of Qasr, earlier. Another place was semi-legendary, it was about finding one of the 7 wonders of the world. This is how Koldewey managed to find out Where were the Hanging Gardens of Babylon?.
The main ancient mentions of the Gardens of Babylon are associated with the name of the Greek Ctesias. But due to the exaggerations and fantasies observed behind it, almost all of our information about this wonder of the world is controversial and unreliable.
In antiquity, the image of Semiramis appears quite often. According to many legends, she was a brave warrior and had excellent architectural taste. According to one legend, she was the daughter of the mermaid Atargatis, who is a lunar goddess, and an ordinary person. According to other stories, Semiramis was abandoned by her parents from birth, and pigeons were involved in her upbringing.
In fact, the name Semiramis was understood by the Greeks to mean 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 under her the state was strengthened and the borders were expanded by conquering Media.
For whom were the Hanging Gardens of Babylon built?
But still, a miracle 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, Amytis, two hundred years after the reign of Semiramis. According to legend, Nebuchadnezzar entered into an alliance with the king of Media for the war with Assyria. After the victory, to strengthen the alliance, he married the daughter of the Median king.
But life in desert Babylon was incomparable to mountainous and green Media. To please and console his wife, Nebuchadnezzar ordered the construction of these evergreen gardens 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 Babylonian interesting facts about Hanging Gardens of Babylon in Babylon.
They were a four-level structure with many cool rooms, richly decorated with plants. To water them, a water lift was used, for the operation 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 tiled, filled with asphalt and covered with a layer of earth sufficient to grow even trees.
The water supply system used in the Gardens of Babylon was not new to Mesopotamia. This is also found in local ziggurats, including the legendary Tower of Babel and the Great Ziggurat of Ur. But it was in gardens that irrigation technology reached its perfection.
Hanging Gardens of Babylon: video
Seven wonders of the world- these words have become firmly established in everyday life. They are used when they want to emphasize the outstanding merits of either a work of art, or a grandiose structure, or a scientific discovery. More often than others, ancient authors included among the seven wonders of the world:
Hanging Gardens of Babylon were built at a time when the Odyssey already existed and Greek cities were being built. And at the same time, the gardens are much closer to the ancient Egyptian world than to the Greek world. The gardens mark the decline of the Assyro-Babylonian power, a contemporary of ancient Egypt and its rival. And if the pyramids survived everyone and are alive today, then the Hanging Gardens turned out to be short-lived and disappeared along with Babylon - a majestic, but not durable giant made of clay.
Babylon was already heading towards sunset. It ceased to be the capital of a great power and was turned by the Persian conquerors into the center of one of the satrapies, when the troops of Alexander the Great entered there - a man who, although he did not build any of the wonders of the world, influenced to one degree or another the fate of many great monuments of the past, for their creation or destruction.
In 331 BC, the inhabitants of Babylon sent envoys to the Macedonians with an invitation to enter Babylon in peace. Alexander was struck by the wealth and grandeur of the largest city in the world, although in decline, and stayed there. In Babylon, Alexander was greeted as a liberator. And ahead lay the whole world that had to be conquered.
Less than ten years have passed since the circle has closed. The Lord of the East Alexander, tired, exhausted by the inhuman stress of the last eight years, but full of plans and plans, returned to Babylon. He was already ready to conquer Egypt and march to the West in order to subjugate Carthage, Italy and Spain and reach the limit of the then world - the Pillars of Hercules. But in the midst of preparations for the campaign, he fell ill. For several days Alexander struggled with illness, conferred with the generals, and prepared the fleet for the campaign. The city was hot and dusty. The summer sun, through the haze, tilted the red walls of multi-story buildings. During the day, the noisy bazaars fell silent, deafened by an unprecedented flow of goods - cheap slaves and jewelry brought by soldiers from the Indian borders - easy-to-get, easy-to-go booty. The heat and dust penetrated even through the thick walls of the palace, and Alexander was suffocating - for all these years he had never been able to get used to the heat of his eastern possessions. He was afraid to die not because he was in awe of death - he looked closely at it, a stranger and his own, in battles. But death, understandable and even acceptable ten years ago, was now unthinkable for him, a living god. Alexander did not want to die here, in the dusty stuffiness of a foreign city, so far from the shady oak forests of Macedonia, without completing his fate. After all, if the world so obediently lay down at the feet of his horses, then it means that the second half of the world must join the first. He could not die without seeing and conquering the West.
And when the bishop felt very bad, he remembered the only place in Babylon where he should feel better, because it was there that he caught, remembered - and, having remembered, was surprised - the aroma of Macedonian, filled with the bright sun, the murmuring of a brook and the smell of forest herbs. Alexander, still great, still alive, at the last stop on the path to immortality, ordered himself to be transferred to the Hanging Gardens...
Nebuchadnezzar, who created these gardens, was guided by the noble whim of a despot, for despots also have noble whims - for some, but never for everyone. Nebuchadnezzar loved his young wife, a Median princess, who yearned in dusty and green Babylon for fresh air and the rustle of trees. The Babylonian king did not move the capital to the green hills of Media, but did something that is inaccessible to other mortals. He brought here, to the center of the hot valley, the illusion of those hills.
All the forces of the ancient kingdom, all the experience of its builders and mathematicians, were thrown into the construction of the gardens, a shelter for the queen. Babylon proved to the whole world that it could create the world's first monument in honor of love. And the name of the queen was fabulously mixed in the memory of descendants with the name of another, Assyrian ruler, and the gardens became known as the gardens of Semiramis - perhaps it was the jealousy of human memory, for which a great deed should be associated with a great name. Queen Tamara never lived in the castle named after her, and never, being a pious woman who loved her second husband and children, never thought about throwing unlucky lovers off the cliffs. But the tragedy must be sanctified by a great name: otherwise it lacks drama.
The gardens created by the builders of Babylon were four-tiered. The vaults of the tiers rested on columns twenty-five meters high. The platforms of the tiers, made of flat stone slabs, were covered with a layer of reeds, filled with asphalt and covered with lead leaves to prevent water from leaking into the lower tier. On top of this was a layer of earth sufficient for large trees to grow here. The tiers, rising in ledges, were connected by wide, gentle stairs lined with colored tiles.
Construction was still going on, brick factories were still smoking, where wide flat bricks were fired, endless caravans of carts with fertile river silt were still wandering from the lower reaches of the Euphrates, and seeds of rare herbs and bushes and tree seedlings had already arrived from the north. In winter, when it became cooler, large trees, carefully wrapped in damp matting, began to arrive in the city on heavy carts drawn by oxen.
Nebuchadnezzar proved his love. Above the hundred-meter walls of Babylon, so wide that two chariots could pass on them, rose the green cap of the garden trees. From the upper tier, basking in the cool shade, listening to the murmur of water jets - day and night slaves pumped water from the Euphrates for many kilometers around the queen saw only the green land of her power.
With the death of Alexander the Great, his empire instantly crumbled, torn to pieces by arrogant commanders. And Babylon did not have to become the capital of the world again. He withered away, life gradually left him. The flood destroyed Nebuchadnezzar's palace, the bricks of the hastily built gardens were not fired enough, high columns collapsed, platforms and stairs collapsed. True, the trees and exotic flowers died much earlier: there was no one to pump water from the Euphrates day and night.
Today, guides in Babylon point to one of the clay brown hills, stuffed, like all the hills of Babylon, with fragments of bricks and fragments of tiles, like the remains of the gardens of Babylon.
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