Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Hanging Gardens of Babylon: where the ruins of the ancient creation are located

History of appearance

Having won, they divided the territory of Assyria among themselves. Their military alliance was confirmed by the marriage of Nebuchadnezzar II to the daughter of the Median king Amytis. Dusty and noisy Babylon, located on a bare sandy plain, did not please the queen, who grew up in mountainous and green Media. To console her, Nebuchadnezzar ordered the construction of the Hanging Gardens.

Hanging Gardens existed for about two centuries. When Semiramis died, they first stopped caring for the garden, then powerful floods destroyed the foundation of the columns, and the entire structure collapsed.

Device

Architecturally, the hanging gardens were a pyramid consisting of four tiers-platforms. They were supported by columns up to 25 meters high. The lower tier had the shape of an irregular quadrangle, the largest side of which was 42 m, the smallest - 34 m. All plants were brought from Media.

To prevent irrigation water from seeping through, the surface of each platform was first covered with a layer of reeds; on it lay a thick carpet of fertile soil, where seeds of various herbs, flowers, shrubs and trees were planted.

The pyramid resembled an ever-blooming green hill. Pipes were placed in the cavity of one of the columns. Day and night, hundreds of slaves turned a lifting wheel with leather buckets, supplying water to the gardens. Magnificent gardens with rare trees, fragrant flowers and coolness in sultry Babylonia were truly a wonder of the world. But during the Persian rule, Nebuchadnezzar's palace fell into disrepair. It had 172 rooms, decorated and furnished with luxury. Now Persian kings occasionally stayed there during inspection trips throughout the vast empire. But in the fourth century BC. e. this palace became the residence of Alexander the Great. The throne room of the palace and the chambers of the lower tier of the hanging gardens were last place Alexander's stay on earth.

Name

Hanging Gardens of Babylon (Babylon)

See also

Links

• Babylon. Hanging Gardens of Babylon (Discovery. Babylon. Alexander III.)

Seven Wonders of the World

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See what “The Hanging Gardens of Babylon” is in other dictionaries:

THE HANGING GARDENS OF SEMIRAMIS, gardens in the palace of the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II (see NEBUCHADNEZZOR II) (605 562 BC), which he ordered to be laid out for his beloved wife, the Median princess; traditionally ranked among the Seven Wonders of the World (see SEVEN... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary

Hanging Gardens of Babylon 3B class. (Falcon)- R0–R1: 45m, 5s. Tree insurance + your own. Station under a tree with a double loop of main rope, or lower on a pine tree. R1–R2: 45m, 6b or A2. Own insurance. Friends with large rooms will make life much easier. At the end of the rope, before the exit to... ... Encyclopedia of tourists

Babylon is one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Contents 1 History of appearance 2 Architecture and structure 3 Name ... Wikipedia

The Hanging Gardens in Russia are architectural structures built based on the Hanging Gardens of Babylon in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Tsarskoe Selo. Moscow's Upper and Lower Gardens The Upper Hanging Garden was built in the Kremlin in 1623. Nearby was located... ... Wikipedia

Gardens of Babylon- book. something wonderful, magnificent, wonderful. Semiramis is a legendary Assyrian queen. Greek historians (Diodorus and others) say that she built the “Hanging Gardens” in Babylon; these gardens ancient world considered one of the seven wonders of the world... Phraseology Guide

Book What's l. about? magnificent, wonderful, wonderful. /i> The Assyrian queen Semiramis built the “Hanging Gardens” in Babylon, which were considered one of the seven wonders of the world. BMS 1998, 511 ... Big dictionary Russian sayings

Hanging Gardens- Semiramis in Babylon, one of the seven wonders of the world... Dictionary of Antiquity

Hanging Gardens- gardens arranged above ground level on special. constructed terraces, vaults or inside the walls of a building; in the latter case, it should be distinguished from winter gardens located in rooms, i.e. closed on all sides, V.S., even enclosed by the walls of a house... ... Russian humanitarian encyclopedic dictionary

Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Reconstruction of the beginning of the 20th century Semiramis (Greek Σεμίραμις, Shammuramat, Shamiram) the legendary queen of Assyria, the wife of the legendary king Nin, who killed him with cunning and seized power. The historical prototype of Semiramis ... Wikipedia

The richest and most majestic city Ancient East. He was sung in legends, his magnificence was told all over the world. The best merchants flocked here and ordinary people looking for better life. was famous for its beautiful 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 In 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 possessed 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 were absolute throughout his life.

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

But actually famous Babylon are associated with another woman - the wife of King Nebuchadnezzar II. During his reign, Babylon fought 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 prosperous state with green hills. In Babylon, surrounded by sands, Semiramis became bored. Therefore, Nebuchadnezzar II ordered the construction of the Hanging Gardens 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 made of white and pink stone. Inside one of the columns there was a pipe through which water from the Euphrates rose to the upper tier, from where it flowed down in small streams and waterfalls.

Ever-blooming exotic flowers, green grass, the singing of birds and the murmur of water made an indelible impression. The news of the creation of the 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 rule, the palace was empty. Subsequently, 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 engaged in excavations in 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 reached us. They were destroyed by the floods of the Euphrates. You can imagine what this wonderful architectural creation looked like only from the records of historians and with the help of your own imagination.

Where are the Hanging Gardens of Babylon?

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

The Hanging Gardens were located in Babylon. Their creation in ancient times was associated with a certain 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.

Hanging Gardens of Babylon: history and legend

The modern history of the Gardens of Babylon is associated with the name of the German archaeologist Robert Koldewey. While excavating ancient Babylon since 1899, one day he stumbles upon a strange structure that is not typical for the area. So, for example, the vaults had a different shape, were lined with stone instead of ordinary brick, there were underground structures, and most importantly, it was found interesting system water supply from three mines.

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 the discovery of one of the 7 wonders of the world, the 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, Semiramis was a brave warrior and builder with excellent architectural taste. According to one legend, she was the daughter of the mermaid Atargatis, who is a lunar goddess, and 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.

But still, the wonder of the world, the Gardens of Babylon, according to modern researchers, could not be connected 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: brief description and interesting facts

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon 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. Similar features are 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.

If we talk about the reign of Nebuchadnezzar II, then this was a time of great construction of great structures. During his reign, many roads of the city were built, including the famous Processional Road leading from the gate of the goddess Ishtar, a huge number of palaces and temples.

Separately, it is worth mentioning the legendary walls of Babylon, originally also included in the list of wonders of the world. If you believe the descriptions, their width allowed two chariots to pass freely. Watchtowers were installed in two rows of walls every 50 meters. In total there were 360 ​​of them on the inner wall, and 250 on the outer wall.

But with the construction of the Alexandria Lighthouse, the walls of the city with the Gardens of Babylon were abandoned famous list, but the gardens themselves have proudly survived with him to our times. Of course, one can argue for a long time about the place of gardens in this list, but the fact that it was one of the best engineering structures of antiquity is beyond doubt.

Description of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon The Hanging Gardens of Babylon or the Hanging Gardens of Amytis (or Amanis according to other sources) is one of the seven wonders of the Ancient World. According to legend, a huge artificial hill was built by the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II. The ancient Greek historian Herodotus, describing the ancient capital of Babylon, claimed that the perimeter of its outer walls reached 56 miles (about 89 km) in length, the thickness of the walls reached 80 feet (30 meters), and the height was 320 feet (about 100 meters). The walls of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon were wide enough for two chariots drawn by four horses to easily overtake each other. The city also had internal walls that were "not so thick, but like the first they were no less powerful." Inside these double walls stood luxurious palaces and temples containing huge statues made of pure gold. Towering over the city was the famous Tower of Babel, the temple of the god Marduk, which seemed to reach to the heavens, and of course the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.

Hanging Gardens of Babylon - Seven Facts Location: City of Babylon (modern Iraq) Year of construction: Around 600 BC Function: Royal Gardens Destroyed: Earthquake, 2nd century BC Size: Height probably 24 meters. Made from: Unfired brick and lead for water resistance Other: Some archaeologists suggest that the actual location of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon was not in Babylon, but 500 kilometers to the north in the city of Nineveh, the capital of the Assyrian state.

Atlantis	Pompeii	Herculaneum	Nessebar
Hilt	Adrianov Val	Antonine Wall	Skara Bray
Parthenon	Mycenae	Olympia	Karnak
Pyramid of Cheops	Troy	Tower of Babel	Machu Picchu
Coliseum	Chichen Itza	Teotihuacan	Great Wall of China
Side	Stonehenge	Jerusalem	Petra

Archaeological excavations carried out in ancient Babylon dispute some of Herodotus's claims (the outer walls were 10 miles (16 km) long and not that high). However, his narrative does give us feeling that, how amazing the city Babylon was and what impression it made on the ancient people. Oddly enough, one of the city's most impressive sights was not even mentioned by Herodotus, namely the Hanging Gardens of Babylon or the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Reconstruction

Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Gift for the homesick wife

Historical records state that the Hanging Gardens of Babylon were built by King Nebuchadnezzar II, who ruled the city for 43 years starting in 605 BC. This was the height of the power and influence of the city and King Nebuchadnezzar himself, who is known to have built an amazing array of temples, streets, palaces and walls. He particularly distinguished himself in the history of Babylon for defeating the Assyrian Empire, which twice took Babylon and destroyed it. Together with Cyaxares, king of Media (modern-day Iraq, Iran and parts of Pakistan and Afghanistan), they divided the Assyrian empire among themselves, and to maintain the alliance, Nebuchadnezzar II married Cyaxares' daughter, Amytis.

It is believed that Nebuchadnezzar built the luxurious Hanging Gardens of Babylon for his homesick wife, Amytis. Amytis, the daughter of the king of Media, married Nebuchadnezzar to create an alliance between the two countries. Her homeland was covered with green hills and mountains, and the area of ​​​​Mesopotamia, of course, does not have any hills. The king decided to cure her depression by recreating part of her homeland by creating an artificial mountain with a garden.

Exists alternative history that the Hanging Gardens of Babylon were built by the Assyrian queen Semiramis or Shammuramat (812-803 BC) during her five-year reign. Although she was the wife of the Assyrian king Shamshi-Adad V, she was Babylonian by blood.

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon probably did not actually "hang" in the sense that cables and ropes were not used. The name comes from a mistranslation of the Greek word "kremastos" or the Latin "pensilis". Both words can be translated as “overhangs,” as in the case of a terrace or balcony, rather than hanging in the literal sense of the word.

The Greek geographer Strabo, who described the Hanging Gardens of Babylon in the first century BC, described the Gardens of Babylon as follows:

Garden[Semiramis] had a quadrangular shape, and each side was four plethra in length. It consists of arched vaults, which are located one above the other, on checkered, cubic columns. The checkered collections that are hollowed out are covered with a layer of deep earth so that they tolerate the largest trees. All this is supported by a series of vaults and arches. You can climb to the uppermost terrace by stairs; next to these stairs there are screws, with the help of which workers appointed specifically for this purpose constantly raised water from the Euphrates into the garden. And the garden is located on the river bank

Problem with Water and Irrigation of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon

Strabo argued that it was the solution to the irrigation of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon that was truly the most amazing engineering problem that was solved by the ancients. Babylon is located in a dry region; rains are not very frequent here. In order for the garden to survive, the trees and bushes had to be irrigated with water from the Euphrates River, which flowed through the city, dividing it into two parts. This meant that the water had to be raised to the very top, and from there it could flow through canals to the terraces below. This was a huge task given the lack of modern engines and pressure pumps in ancient times. We do not know exactly what these ancient devices described by Strabo looked like, but it is quite possible that they were some form of “chain pump”. For more details, you can watch a video showing the mechanism of its operation.

The video is in English, but the graphics describing the Hanging Gardens of Babylon are quite understandable without translation

The pump chain was stretched between two large wheels, located one above the other. Buckets were hung from chains. Below the bottom wheel is a pool with a water source. As the wheel turned, the buckets dipped into the pool and lifted the water to the top. The chain then lifted them to the upper wheel, where buckets poured water into the upper basin. The chain then carried the empty buckets back down to repeat the cycle. From the upper basin of the garden, water was drained through channels, creating artificial streams for watering the garden. The pool doors were attached to a shaft with a handle. By turning the handle, slaves could control the power of the flow.

An alternative way to obtain water in top part The Hanging Gardens of Babylon may have been built using a screw pump (shown in the video). This device looks quite simple. A long tube was taken with one end in the lower pool, from which water was pumped, and from the other end, hanging over the upper pool, water was poured out. The water was raised using a long internal screw, which was fitted tightly into the tube. As the propeller turns, the water is pinched between the propeller blades and forced to the top. When the water reached the top, it fell into the upper pool.

Screw pumps are very effective ways movement of water and a number of engineers have suggested that they were used in hanging gardens. Strabo even makes references in his description of parts of the garden that can be taken as evidence that such hand pumps brought water to the top. One problem with this theory, however, is that we have little evidence that the Babylonians had a screw pump. It is believed that the screw pump was invented by the Greek engineer Archimedes from the Sicilian city of Syracuse in 250 BC, more than 300 years after the construction of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. However, let’s not forget that the Greeks are a proud people and could completely ignore the achievements of other peoples.

Construction of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon

During the construction of the Gardens of Babylon, it was necessary to take into account not only the severity of the water supplied to the top, but also its destructive properties on the structure itself. Since stone was difficult to find on the Mesopotamian plain, most of the buildings in Babylon were built of brick. The bricks were made from clay mixed with chopped straw and baked in the sun. They were then bonded together with bitumen, a slimy substance that acted as mortar. Unfortunately, water could quickly ruin such bricks and the garden itself could quickly sag under the influence of moisture. As mentioned, rains are rare in Mesopotamia, but a structure that received so much water from the Euphrates could actually be destroyed in a few weeks and months.

Diodorus Siculus, a Greek historian, described the platforms on which the Garden of Babylon stood and claimed that they consisted of huge stone slabs (the only structure apparently made of stone in Babylon), covered with layers of reeds, asphalt and tiles. Above it was

"a covering with sheets of lead, which retained moisture which was absorbed through the ground and allowed the foundation to be destroyed. The ground level was deep enough for the growth of the largest trees. When the soil was laid and leveled, all kinds of trees were planted in it, both for grandeur and beauty , or maybe for the admiration of the audience."

How big were the Gardens of Babylon? Diodorus tells us that they were about 400 feet wide by 400 feet (about 130 meters by 130 meters) long and over 80 feet (25 meters) high. Other calculations show that the height was equal to the height of the outer city wall given to us by Herodotus which he stated was 320 feet (100 meters) high. In any case, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon were an amazing sight: a green, artificial mountain clearly stood out against the background of the plain.

Description of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon in the works of antiquity

In fact, everything we know about gardens comes to us from ancient works. As we will describe below, the very location of the gardens has not yet been clarified. Let's start with who built the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Josephus (37-100 AD) gives a description of the gardens, making reference to Berosus (or Berosus), a Babylonian priest of the god Marduk who lived c. 290 BC. Berossus described the reign of Nebuchadnezzar II and was the only source who claimed that it was Nebuchadnezzar II who built this miracle.

"In this palace he installed very high paths supported by stone columns; and he planted a garden, and called it a curtained garden.paradise, and replenished with all kinds of trees, he made an exact likeness of a mountainous country. He did this to

to please his queen, because she was brought up in Media and also loved the mountain scenery"

Diodorus Siculus (c. 60-30 BC), made references to Clitarchus (historian of Alexander the Great) and Ctesias of Cnidus, who lived in the 4th centuries BC. Diodorus attributes the construction to a Syrian king.

The park extends for four plethra on each side, and since the approach to the garden is inclined, like a hillside, and several parts of the structure grow one out of the other, tier upon tier, appearance Overall it was like a theatre. When the ascending terraces were built, galleries were built there, which bore the entire weight of the sown garden; and the upper gallery, which was fifty cubits high, bore the highest platform of the park, which was made on the same level as the battlements of the city walls. Moreover, the walls, which were built at great expense, were twenty-two feet thick, while the passage between each two walls was ten feet wide. The bottom of the gardens was laid with a layer of reeds laid in large quantities of bitumen, and above these two layers was laid a layer of baked brick bound with cement, and as the last layer there was a covering of lead, so that moisture from the soil could not penetrate downwards. On top of all this earth was laid to a depth sufficient for the roots of the largest trees; the ground was leveled, densely planted with trees of every kind, which, from their large size or charm, could give pleasure to the spectator. Galleries, each of which projects one after the other, they all receive light, and contain many royal residences of all kinds; there was also one gallery which contained openings leading to the upper surface and machines for supplying water to the gardens, the machines raising water in great abundance from the river, although no one outside could see how it was done. Now this park, as I said, was a late construction.

The Legend of Queen Semiramis

Where did Semiramis come from and was she real character in the history of the region? This seemingly simple question does not have a clear answer. On the one hand, many historians identify Semiramis with the Assyrian princess Shammuramat (812-803 BC), but not everything is so simple.

This is what the ancient authors tell us: “In ancient times there was a city in Syria called Ascalon, and next to it deep lake, where the temple of the goddess Atargatis (Atargatida, also Derketo) stood." According to myth, she fell from the sky near Bambika, and a fish living in the lake saved her. The goddess, in gratitude, made the fish into the constellation Pisces and fixed it in the heavens. By the way, that’s why the temple , dedicated to Atargatis, was made in the form of a fish with a human head. The goddess of love, Aphrodite, was angry with Atargatis-Atargatis-Derketo and forced her to fall in love with a simple mortal young man. Atargatis gave birth to a daughter, but irritated by the inequality of the marriage, the Goddess abandoned her daughter and disappeared. in the lake. The daughter of Semiramis was left completely alone. The local pigeons began to take care of the orphan. They warmed her with the warmth of their bodies, and later fed her with cheese, which they brought in their beaks. Later, the shepherds found the baby, hearing her cry. They took her away. and they took her to Simmas, the keeper of the royal flock. Simmas adopted Semiramis ("dove" in Syriac) and made her his daughter.

Semiramis grew into a lovely girl. The beauty was noticed by Onnes, the first royal adviser to King Nin and the governor of Syria, and of course fell in love with her. He asked her father Simmas for her hand in marriage and they got married. In this marriage she gave birth to two sons. But beauty was not the only virtue of the young woman. According to legends, she had a steely character and a marvelous mind. Needless to say she had full power over her husband Onnes.

At this time, enemies from Bactria attacked King Nin and Onnes and his wife went to war. Their army numbered 1,700,000 warriors, 210,000 horsemen and 10,600 war chariots. The army of Nineveh repelled the troops of Bactria and proceeded to the capital of Bactria. Despite superior forces, King Ning could not conquer the city. Semiramis saw an opportunity to become famous. She arrived on the battlefield wearing male armor so that no one could recognize her gender. The writer Diodorus says that the dress was, on the one hand, very elegant, but on the other hand, it was not clear to understand the gender of the warrior.

On the battlefield, Semiramis saw that the army of King Nin was attacking a weak area of ​​the capital of Bactria, logically believing that it would be easier to win a military victory there. The smart woman decided to take a risk and assumed that there would be fewer people on a more protected section of the walls and therefore it would be easy to capture this section with a swift attack. Semiramis begged King Nin for a small detachment of soldiers and she herself led the soldiers into battle. Much to everyone's surprise, her risk paid off. The Bactrian soldiers did not expect that the Ninevites would risk attacking the most protected part of the city. The enemy capital fell and Semiramis became the hero of the army.

Of course, King Ning could not pass by such a woman and demanded that his first adviser Onnes give up his wife in peace. Onnes initially resisted, but the king threatened that he would gouge out the eyes of the disobedient servant if he did not see the master’s needs. Moreover, in exchange for Semiramis, the king promised to give his daughter Sosana. Poor Onnesa could not stand such grief, went crazy and eventually hanged himself. And Semiramis became the queen and wife of King Nin. King Nin left his governor in Bactria and returned to Nineveh in triumph. New wife Ninia bore him a son.

The death of King Nin has two versions. According to one version, Nin died a natural death, according to another, his death was violent. According to the latest version, King Nin decided to give Semiramis a birthday present. She asked to become the sole ruler for one day. The king agreed and immediately paid with his head. The insidious woman issued the first decree according to which Nina was taken out into the garden and beheaded. So Semiramis became the sole ruler of Nineveh and regent of her son, the heir of Ninya.

Was the Hanging Garden of Babylon really in Nineveh?

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon are undoubtedly one of the most important buildings of Antiquity. However, if we look at archaeological finds we have very little evidence that they actually existed at all. In fact, ancient writers are all that remains of this majestic building. We don’t even have these gardens in the official archives of Babylon itself. Ancient clay tablets served as paper, and all important buildings in the city were recorded in cuneiform. However, they say nothing about gardens. Historians explained this by saying that the gardens were part of the palace and therefore were not considered a separate building. Others have suggested that the gardens were actually located in the capital of the Assyrian Empire, Nineveh. According to this alternative version, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon were built in 700 BC. King Sennacherib or Ashur-nasir-apal II.

Interpretation of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon in a painting by the 16th Dutch artist Martin Heemskerkom

Stephanie Dalley, an Assyriologist at the University of Oxford, believes the error was the result of a mistranslation of ancient works and that the gardens themselves were located 500 km to the south in the city of Nineveh. King Sennacherib (705-680 BC) left a number of works, describing luxurious gardens. He built gardens with an extensive irrigation system. These written accounts differ greatly from Nebuchadnezzar's archive, which does not have any mention of gardens in his list of achievements in Babylon. Dalli also states that the name "Babylon", which translates as "Gate of the Gods" was a name that could have been applied to several Mesopotamian cities. Sennacherib apparently renamed the city gates and dedicated them to the gods so that Nineveh would not be seen as "Babylon", creating confusion.

Interestingly, Sennacherib is the only Mesopotamian king to leave a message of his love for his wife - a key part of the classical romantic story about the construction of certain hanging gardens:

And for Tashmetu-sharrat, the mistress of the palace, my beloved wife, whose features rise above all other women, I had a palace of love, delight and joy, built by her

Assyrian image of a garden. As we see, part of the garden is located on an aqueduct or platform, that is, they are suspended

Another possible candidate for the construction of the Hanging Gardens was King Ashur-nasir-apal II (883-859 BC). He did not suffer from modesty and wrote a lot about his merits and successes:

I dug a canal from the (river) Upper Zab, passing through the top of the mountain, and called it the Canal of Plenty. I watered the Tiger's meadows and planted orchards with all kinds of fruit trees in the surrounding area. I planted seeds and plants that I found in the countries through which I marched and in the mountainous areas that I visited: pine trees of various kinds, cypress trees and juniper trees various types, almond, date, ebony, rosewood, olive, oak, tamarisk, walnut, turpentine tree, spruce, pomegranate, pear, quince, fig, grapevine.... the water of the canal flows like a fountain from above into the garden; fragrance permeates the footpaths, streams of water are as numerous as the stars of the sky in the walking garden.... Like a squirrel I select fruits in the garden of delights...

There are more important reason why the structure of the gardens was “transferred” to Babylon from Nineveh. The fact is that Nebuchadnezzar II was the Babylonian king who defeated the Assyrians. Perhaps some gardens were actually built in Babylon, and the king's servants described them in such a way as to eclipse anything that the Assyrians could do. It is quite possible that the legend of the Hanging Gardens was essentially stolen by the victors along with the gold and silver.

Is it possible that the Greek scholars who wrote about the garden in Babylon for several centuries could have confused these two different places? They were able to confuse the Assyrian queen Semiramis or Shammuramat (812-803 BC) with the Babylonian Amytis. If there really were gardens in Babylon, can remains be found to prove their existence?

Archaeological site of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon

German archaeologist Robert Koldewey conducted a series of archaeological excavations of ancient Babylon in 1899. For many centuries, the ancient city was abandoned, and was only a pile of dirty garbage, never explored by scientists. Although, unlike many ancient sites, the location of the city was well known, nothing remains of the architecture. Stone was hardly used in the structure, and clay bricks deteriorated over the centuries. Koldewey spent fourteen years and excavated most of the city, including the outer walls of Babylon, the inner walls, and the foundations. Tower of Babel, the palaces of Nebuchadnezzar and the wide thoroughfare that runs through the heart of the city.

During the excavations of the Southern Citadel, Koldewey discovered a basement with fourteen large rooms with stone arched ceilings. Ancient records indicated that only two places in the city used stone in their construction, on the northern wall of the Northern Citadel, and in the construction of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. The northern wall of the Northern Citadel has already been found and stone has actually been found in the structure. This led Koldewey to the logical conclusion that he had found the basement or lower tiers of the legendary Garden of Babylon.

He continued to explore the surrounding area and discovered many of the details that Diodorus had reported. And finally, he unearthed a room with three large, strange holes in the floor. Koldewey came to the conclusion that it was the arrangement of chain pumps that raised water to the roof of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.

While Koldewey was convinced that he had found the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, some modern archaeologists question his discovery, arguing that the site was too far from the river. The amount of water required for irrigation made this arrangement extremely inconvenient and illogical. Moreover, Strabo clearly states that the garden should be located near the Euphrates River. In addition, clay tables were discovered not so long ago. They represent the royal archive. Therefore, it was logical to assume that the place was used for administrative and storage purposes, and not as a pleasure garden for the Babylonian queen.

It is quite possible that the Hanging Gardens of Babylon were located under the Euphrates River. The fact is that the river changed its course several times and it is quite possible that the remains were absorbed by the water. Unfortunately on at the moment archaeological excavations at the site of ancient Babylon are not possible due to the fact that democracy or Sharia law are now being actively implanted there, depending on the region.

Ruins of the city of Babylon in 1932

If the Hanging Gardens of Babylon really existed, then what happened to them? There is a report that they were destroyed by an earthquake in the second century BC. The remains of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, mostly made of mud brick, were probably slowly eroded by infrequent rains over the centuries.

Whatever the fate of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon was, we can only guess if Queen Amytis was happy or if she continued to yearn for the green mountains of her distant homeland.

The second wonder of the world, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, is a luxurious and unusual gift from the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar to his beloved wife. It was here that he himself died. The Hanging Gardens delighted ancient travelers and continue to excite minds to this day. modern people.

- the largest city of ancient Mesopotamia, the capital of the Babylonian kingdom in the 19th–6th centuries. BC e., cultural and shopping mall antiquity, which amazed contemporaries with its magnificence. This is where the second wonder of the world was located - the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.

In Search of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon

Time has destroyed the Hanging Gardens, and now it is not even possible to say exactly where they were. Although archaeological scientists have repeatedly made attempts to find traces of the famous ancient wonder of the world.

At the end of the 19th century, the German historian Robert Koldewey took up the solution to this problem. The excavations lasted 18 years. As a result, the scientist stated that he had discovered traces of Ancient Babylon - part of the city wall, the ruins of the Tower of Babel and the remains of columns and vaults, which, in his opinion, once surrounded the famous Hanging Gardens of Babylon.

The excavations he carried out made it possible to get a fairly clear idea of ​​what Babylon looked like in the 6th century BC. e. The city was built according to a clearly drawn up plan; it was surrounded by a triple ring of walls, the length of which reached 18 km. The number of its inhabitants was at least 200,000.

In the old part of the city was the main palace of Nebuchadnezzar, divided into two parts - eastern and western. On the plan it is depicted as a quadrangle. The entrance was located in the east, where the garrison was also located. Western part, apparently, was intended for courtiers; on the northern side, according to archaeologists, there were the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Not all scientists support this point of view. But after many centuries it is quite difficult to establish the exact location of the hanging gardens.

Description of Herodotus

A detailed and enthusiastic description of Babylon is available from the ancient Greek historian Herodotus. He visited Babylon in the 5th century BC. e. he was struck by the breadth and regularity of its streets, the beauty and richness of its palaces and temples. Reading the enthusiastic descriptions of Herodotus, it is almost impossible to believe that two centuries before him this city was destroyed and wiped off the face of the earth by the cruel Assyrian king Sennacherib, and the place itself was flooded by the waters of the Tigris and Euphrates.

Death of Babylon

For a long time, rich and prosperous Babylonia was the object of raids by the kings of the warlike Assyrian power. In an effort to destroy his rebellious rival, the Assyrian king Sennacherib sent countless hordes against Babylonia. Decisive Battle occurred near the city of Halul, on the Tigris River. The rebel Babylonians and their allies were defeated. This is how the chronicler describes these events on behalf of the Assyrian king: “Like a lion, I became enraged, put on a shell, and placed a war helmet on my head. In the anger of my heart, I quickly rushed in a high war chariot, striking down the enemies...

Thundering furiously, I raised a battle cry against all the evil enemy troops... I pierced the enemy warriors with javelins and arrows, I perforated their corpses like a sieve... I quickly killed the enemies, like tied fat bulls, along with princes girded with golden daggers and with arms, studded with red gold rings. I cut their throats like lambs. I cut off their precious life like a thread... The chariots along with the horses, whose riders were killed during the attack, abandoned to the mercy of fate, rushed back and forth...

I stopped the beating only after two hours (after nightfall). The king of Elam himself, together with the king of Babylon and the princes of the Chaldeans who were on his side, were crushed by the horror of the battle... They left their tents and fled. To save their lives, they trampled on the corpses of their own warriors... Their hearts beat like those of a caught dove, they clanged their teeth. I sent my chariots with horses to pursue them, and the fugitives who fled for their lives were stabbed to death with weapons wherever they were overtaken.”

Then the Assyrian king Sennacherib moved to Babylon and, despite the fierce resistance of its inhabitants, took the city. Babylon was given over to the soldiers for plunder. Those defenders of the city who were not killed were enslaved and resettled to different regions of the Assyrian state. And the rebellious city of Sennacherib himself planned to wipe it off the face of the earth: walls and towers, temples and palaces, houses and craft workshops were destroyed. After Babylon was completely destroyed, the king ordered the floodgates to be opened and all that was left of the great city to be flooded.

This happened in the 7th century BC. e. And two centuries later, Herodotus visited Babylon and was amazed by its wealth and splendor. Ancient city again delighted travelers with the power and inaccessibility of its walls, the splendor of its palaces and temples.

City restoration

How was the destroyed city able to rise again from the ashes and achieve unprecedented prosperity? By order of King Esarhaddon, son of Sennacherib, thousands of slaves were herded to a wasteland flooded with water, on the site of which a majestic city had previously stood. Work began on restoring canals, clearing debris and building a new city on the site of the old one. The best craftsmen and architects were sent to build Babylon. Its inhabitants, who had previously been resettled to remote areas of Assyria, were returned to the restored city.

Revived Babylon

The revived Babylon reached its greatest prosperity under King Nebuchadnezzar II, who reigned from 605–562 BC. e. He pursued an active policy of conquest, extended his influence to Phenicia, Syria, and conquered the capital Kingdom of Judah- Jerusalem. The city was destroyed, and almost its entire population was relocated to Babylon (this event in ancient Hebrew history is called the Babylonian captivity).

Extensive campaigns of conquest enabled Nebuchadnezzar to capture vast territories and large number prisoners who were turned into slaves and used in the construction of grandiose structures in the capital. Nebuchadnezzar wanted to surpass all his predecessors in the splendor and splendor of the palaces and temples of the capital.

Babylon was a regular rectangle in plan, which was divided by the Euphrates into Old and New city, and was surrounded (as already mentioned) by three rows of powerful fortress walls made of mud brick. In a number of ancient sources, the walls of Babylon are also called among the wonders of the world, since they were distinguished by their unusual width (several chariots could easily pass on them) and a large number crenellated towers. The space between the inner and outer rings of the walls was deliberately not built up, since in the event of an attack it was supposed to become a refuge for the population of nearby villages.

There have always been many travelers in Babylon who wanted to see with their own eyes its luxury and beauty, majestic palaces and temples. But the greatest interest was caused by the delightful Hanging Gardens of Babylon, which were not found anywhere else in the world.

Description of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon

First and most full description Hanging Gardens is found in Herodotus's History. In those days, the construction of the gardens was attributed to the legendary Assyrian queen Shamurmat (in Greek, Semiramis). In fact, they were built by order of Nebuchadnezzar II for his beloved wife, the Median princess Amytis (according to other sources - Amanis). In treeless and dry Babylonia, she yearned for the coolness of the forests of her native Media. And, to console her, the king ordered to lay out a garden in which the plants would remind the queen of her homeland.

The gardens were laid out on a four-tiered tower. The platforms were made of massive stone blocks and were supported by strong vaults, which in turn rested on columns. The top of the platform was covered with reeds and filled with asphalt. They made a lining from two rows of bricks, fastened with plaster, and lead plates were laid on them, which protected the lower tiers from water penetration.

Only after this was a thick layer of fertile soil laid, making it possible to grow the largest trees. The tiers of the gardens were connected by wide staircases lined with white and pink slabs. The gardens were planted with magnificent plants, palm trees and flowers, brought by order of the king from distant Media.

In deserted and arid Babylonia, these gardens with their aroma, greenery and coolness seemed like a real miracle and amazed with their splendor. In order for plants to grow in hot Babylonia, hundreds of slaves rotated the water-lifting wheel every day, pumping water from the Euphrates. Water was supplied upward into numerous channels, through which it flowed down to the lower tiers.

It was in the lower tier of this garden that he died legendary commander antiquity Alexander the Great. Having defeated the Persian king Darius, he moved towards Babylon, preparing for a decisive rebuff from its inhabitants. But the population of the city, tired of Persian rule, greeted the Macedonians as liberators and opened the gates to Alexander without resistance. The Persians behind the fortress wall did not dare to resist.

Alexander was greeted with flowers and joyful cries. Priests, representatives of the nobility and many ordinary townspeople came out to meet him. Alexander, having heard a lot about the beauty and luxury of Babylon, was amazed by what he saw.

The delighted Alexander decided to make Babylon the capital of his empire. But he appeared in the city only 10 years later, preparing for a campaign against Egypt, from which he intended to move further to Carthage, Italy and Spain. Preparations for the campaign were already completed when the commander fell ill. The king was put to bed, but he continued to give orders. And although the doctors gave him healing infusions, his health condition worsened. Tormented by the heat, he ordered his bed to be lowered into the lower tier of the gardens.

When it became clear that he was dying, he was transferred to the throne room of the builder of the hanging gardens, Nebuchadnezzar II. There, on a raised platform, the royal bed was placed, past which his soldiers passed in deep silence. It was last goodbye king with an army.

And after several centuries, the once lush and rich city began to decline. New cities grew, trade routes stretched away from Babylon. The flood destroyed the palace of Nebuchadnezzar II. Clay, which served as the main building material for the Babylonians, turned out to be short-lived.

Washed away by water, the vaults and ceilings collapsed, and the columns supporting the terraces on which the hanging gardens grew collapsed. Everything turned to dust. And only descriptions of ancient authors and archaeological finds help us imagine what the greatest miracle of the world was, inspired by the love of the Babylonian king and created by the labor and art of Babylonian craftsmen.