There is an ancient legend that King Nebuchadnezzar II, having decided to please his wife Amitissa, ordered the construction of a large-scale structure in Babylon, consisting of terraces and ledges, on which trees grew in specially imported soil. Fruits, flowers and greens created an atmosphere of bliss, reminding the queen of her homeland, Media, in a dusty and noisy state. Documentary evidence of this fact does not exist, although a lot of information has been preserved about the city itself. The fact that the hanging gardens existed in Babylon is mainly evidenced by the descriptions of Herodotus, who, however, lived much later than the events he described.
The Babylonian walls were high, but it is assumed that the structure was clearly visible behind them. Judging by the description of Herodotus, it rose a hundred meters. The construction technologies of that time did not involve moving huge boulders to great heights, but the ancient architects, apparently, managed to solve this problem and delivered the blocks. To give the structure maximum aesthetics, tile tiling with a relief pattern of turquoise andgolden yellow color scheme. The arches were supported by columns, which at that time was a revolutionary technology for such massive buildings. Thanks to them, this masterpiece of ancient architecture is known as the "hanging gardens".
The irrigation system and waterproofing deserves special attention, without which the entire structure would lose all meaning. The remains of the foundation of an unknown, but truly gigantic structure, found during excavations, had holes in which, presumably, Archimedes' screws were placed, that is, augers that transported water from the Euphrates River to the upper levels and were driven by muscle power. Leakage of moisture was prevented by lead plates laid between the bricks. Such complex and unusual compositions for the seventh century BC seem like science fiction today. Many skeptics generally doubt that hanging gardens ever existed. Other historians doubt their location. So, some researchers argue that such a structure could have been built by the Assyrian king Sennacherib in the period from 705 to 681 BC. on the banks of the Tigris, and rumor attributed this achievement to ancient Babylon.
There are, however, facts that speak in favor of the veracity of the beautiful ancient legend. In 1899, archaeologist Robert Koldewey found the remains of an ancient structure of colossal proportions in the place where this ancient city was located. The German scientist suggested that the foundations he discovered werethe base of the Tower of Babel and something very big. Having proved the existence of biblical Babylon, he hypothesized that there were also hanging gardens.
Even if we accept this version as a basis for further research, the name adopted for one of the wonders of the world remains a mystery. What does the Hanging Gardens of Babylon have to do with Shammuramat, the founder of this city-state, who lived in the 9th century BC, that is, two centuries earlier than the period of the hypothetical construction of this complex engineering system that serves to please the royal Nebuchadnezzar and Amitissa? Maybe even then there was a tradition to name the objects under construction in honor of famous people? And yet, according to Koldewey's research and measurements, the dimensions of the terraces are greatly exaggerated, although they are still impressive.
