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podcast transcript
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon were one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
It has been described as a marvel of engineering and architecture and was considered incredibly beautiful.
But unlike other ancient wonders, we don’t know who built it, where it was exactly, or if it even existed.
But this hasn’t stopped archaeologists and historians from searching for the elusive wonders of the world.
Learn about the Hanging Gardens of Babylon in this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.
In the last episode we covered the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Six of the wonders were located around the eastern edge of the Mediterranean Sea. Six of the seven retain eyewitness accounts over the centuries and some have ruins still visible today.
… And the other is the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.
Unlike other wonders, the existence of the Hanging Gardens has not yet been proven. Others are still standing or their destruction has been recorded, but in the case of gardens we rely on speculation about their existence and fate.
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon were most commonly believed to be located in Babylon. However, some historians suggest that the garden was actually in a city called Nineveh, which was part of the Assyrian Empire. The exact location is uncertain, as the debate centers on the interpretation of ancient sources and archaeological evidence.
Supporters of the Nineveh theory point out that King Sennacherib of the Assyrian Empire undertook extensive architectural reorganization of the capital. His renovations included a palace known as the “Palace Without Rivals” and a huge garden complex that may have been an actual hanging garden.
The height of the Gardens of Nineveh may suggest that they were the legendary Hanging Gardens, a claim supported by discoveries such as a significant irrigation network with screws to raise water near the palace.
This theory suggests that classical sources were confused about the actual location, and there is some evidence to support this.
The main theory is that several cities were called “Babylon”, meaning “Gate of the Gods.” Nineveh’s gates were renamed after its gods, suggesting that Sennacherib wanted Nineveh to become like Babylon.
It is likely that the ancient Greeks did not know that there were multiple Babylons, so they may have confused their locations. But this is just a theory.
For the rest of the episode, we’ll assume that there really were gardens in Babylon, which most of the evidence points to. But before I continue, I thought I should offer an alternative theory.
The construction of the Hanging Gardens is believed to have been undertaken by Nebuchadnezzar II, the second king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire.
The Neo-Babylonian Empire was the last Great Mesopotamian Empire, ruling Babylon from 626 to 539 BC, reaching its peak under Nebuchadnezzar II before being conquered by Persia. The ancient city of Babylon was the capital and was located in central Iraq, about 85 kilometers (53 miles) south of modern-day Baghdad.
Nebuchadnezzar II is best known for his role in expanding the Neo-Babylonian Empire throughout the Middle East and transforming the city of Babylon into a legendary city.
Nebuchadnezzar II gained a reputation as a great “builder-king” because he believed that large-scale infrastructure projects ensured his legitimacy as ruler.
One of Nebuchadnezzar II’s best-known projects was the construction of another structure, the Ishtar Gate, a massive, decorated brick gate that served as the main entrance to Babylon.
As part of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar II built and restored temples and other architectural marvels throughout the city. Historians cannot prove whether Nebuchadnezzar II was responsible for the construction of the Hanging Gardens because of conflicting sources.
That said, those who trust Nebuchadnezzar believe that the garden was near the palace and was a gesture of love for his wife Amitis rather than a show of power.
Amitis was from Media, a powerful empire in modern-day northern Iran, Azerbaijan, and Kurdistan. Her marriage to Nebuchadnezzar II was not a love match but a political alliance.
It is said that upon arriving in Babylon, Amitis felt homesick for Media. Her hometown was famous for its mountains and greenery, which were very different from the flat, hot, dry climate of Babylon.
To comfort his wife and ease the transition, Nebuchadnezzar is said to have ordered the construction of hanging gardens that would mimic the greenery and hills of his wife’s home.
For the rest of Babylon, the Hanging Gardens were a source of pride and strength. They helped Babylonia gain a reputation as a paradise due to the beauty of its cities. The plants brought showed the power of the empire and the new lands they had visited.
But all of that is basically an assumption.
As previously mentioned, little is known about the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Although there are sources that describe the gardens, there is little or no direct evidence of their existence.
As a result, there is very little information about what the garden actually looked like. But based on a few records written centuries later, we have an idea of what it might have been like.
The first record of the Hanging Gardens was written by Berossus, a Babylonian priest. This account was preserved because it was quoted by a 1st-century historian named Flavius Josephus. In this account, Berossus briefly describes the garden, saying that it was a stone terrace resembling a hill.
Interestingly, he is the only source who credits Nebuchadnezzar II with the construction of the garden. Flavius Josephus also quotes Berossus as saying that the garden was created for his wife and that it provided most of what we know about gardens.
However, it is a bit risky to accept Berossus’s account of the Hanging Gardens. None of his original work survives, and it is thought to have been written centuries after the Hanging Gardens were built.
Nonetheless, many of Berossus’s other claims about Babylon were supported by archaeological evidence. This therefore lends credibility to his claim about the Hanging Gardens.
Another ancient account of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon comes from the ancient Greek geographer Strabo. In his book geographicalStrabo describes the garden as cube-shaped columns with arched terraces rising above each other.
Strabo wrote that the pillars were made of asphalt and brick. He said a water engine was placed at one end and workers pumped water into the garden.
According to a description given by Diodorus Siculus between 60 and 30 BC, the garden stretched 400 by 400 feet and rose 80 feet in the air. He explained that the walls were 22 feet thick and that there was a 10-foot long passageway underneath them.
It is widely known that the Babylonians used a complex irrigation system to keep their gardens well-maintained, with layers perfectly separated to prevent water from one layer from seeping into the other.
This is entirely believable, considering that the Mesopotamian culture pioneered advanced irrigation techniques.
Inside the garden, there were a variety of exotic foliage, luxurious fruits, blooming flowers, and waterfalls. The gardens were called “hanging” gardens because the raised platforms made the vegetation inside the gardens appear to float.
We are not yet sure what the Hanging Gardens would look like, but there is no denying that if they were real, these gardens would be an example of architectural and engineering mastery.
Since we cannot confirm whether the Hanging Gardens were real, we can only guess what happened to them.
If the Hanging Gardens existed, they were probably destroyed after the first century. It has been theorized that the gardens were probably not suddenly destroyed, as in an earthquake, but rather a long period of erosion and warfare slowly chipping away at their grandeur until they no longer exist.
Centuries later, the ruins of the garden may have collapsed, erasing all evidence of its location. However, this is just a theory and there is no archaeological evidence to support it.
Interestingly, there is no mention of hanging gardens in ancient Babylonian literature. There is no explanation for its structure or what it looks like. What’s even stranger is that none of the archaeological finds have found evidence to prove that it ever existed.
The lack of information from Babylonian sources recording all of Nebuchadnezzar II’s other achievements and projects is concerning. This includes something as small as naming a road, so why leave out the amazing, world-famous Hanging Gardens?
Greece was so far away from Babylon that you may have heard about it only through hearsay, and others may have heard of it as well.
Because of the lack of Babylonian evidence, there are concerns that the gardens were simply a figment of the Greek imagination, grossly exaggerated, or an elaborate propaganda ploy by the Babylonians.
But not all hope is lost for the gardens in Babylon. There have been some archaeological discoveries that could be the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. The most notable of these discoveries was made by a German archaeologist named Robert Koldeway.
While searching the northern part of the Babylonian palace, Coldway discovered an unusual vault and fountain room. This led to the discovery of a well and chain pump that may have been part of the infrastructure of the Hanging Gardens.
This shows that the irrigation facilities needed for the public gardens existed in the city, but does not definitively prove their existence.
There is evidence that the remains of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon may lie beneath the Euphrates River. The river was the lifeblood of Babylonian society, providing people with drinking water, sustaining agriculture, and acting as a trade route.
Because the river changed over time, its flow covered most of the western part of historic Babylon. Because the Euphrates River bed cannot be safely excavated by archaeologists, we have no idea whether the Hanging Gardens were ever there.
Even though there is very little evidence that the Hanging Gardens ever existed, it is almost impossible to believe that they never existed. Pure legends about the gardens, reports by ancient writers from other civilizations, and the garden’s location on lists of wonders show that something existed.
Perhaps the answer is simpler.
Perhaps the Greeks were impressed by the fact that the Babylonians were able to grow plants in their beautiful and exotic gardens. Maybe someone grew a really nice garden on their terrace and it got hyped by word of mouth. Or maybe you haven’t found it yet.
Nonetheless, the lack of architectural evidence is not the most important aspect of the garden’s existence. There is an archeological saying that goes, “Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence,” and just because you don’t find something doesn’t mean it never existed.
Ultimately, our search for the Hanging Gardens of Babylon is limited. Most historical textual evidence has been lost and our ability to fully explore the ruins of Babylon is limited.
But in many ways, the mystery behind the Hanging Gardens of Babylon makes them the epitome of ancient wonder. Because of our lack of knowledge, we can only wonder and speculate about its greatness and existence. No other ancient wonder had such an ability.
