Can you imagine that since ancient times ecological forms were used in construction?
Well, it seems that it was!
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon seem to be the clearest example that bioconstruction already existed in the remotest origins of civilization.
Do you want to know everything about this true lost wonder? In this post we tell you!
Hanging Gardens of Babylon – One of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World
The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World were a set of structures that the Hellenes believed should be seen at least once in a lifetime.
Currently, only one of them is preserved: the Great Pyramid of Giza, in Egypt. Its structure dates back more than 4,000 years, but it was built so perfectly that it is still standing today. In fact, it is considered the eighth honorary wonder, within the seven wonders of the modern world.
The rest have been disappearing over the thousands of years that have passed since its construction.
The other six wonders of the ancient world were: the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, the Statue of Zeus at Olympia, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, the Colossus of Rhodes, the Lighthouse of Alexandria, and the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.
We are going to talk about the latter in this article, because behind this incredible world wonder there are many myths and stories. All of which are wonderful.
Origin of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Did they really exist?
Until a few years ago, it was not known for sure if the Hanging Gardens of Babylon had really existed. Some historians believed that it was a simple myth. However, recent investigations seem to be closer to finding proof of their existence and even locating the precise point where they were found.
At the moment, the only thing we know has to do with written finds from different eras. Thus, the information that has come down to our days says that in the 6th century BC, King Nebuchadnezzar II ordered these gardens to be built for his beloved wife.
Another hypothesis is that this king decided to create the gardens to cheer up the population, which during the 7th and 6th centuries BC, had suffered different wars.
It is probable that the construction of these beautiful gardens also had to do with the desire of King Nebuchadnezzar II to turn Babylon into one of the most important powers of antiquity, and with the economic and social boom that this city had during his mandate. .
In any case, this wonder of the ancient world seems to have been extremely important to the people of the time, and a work worth admiring.
The ecological garden of antiquity
The hanging gardens of Babylon began with a base of more than 100 meters in length and width in which the most extraordinary vegetation of that time was included. For years they were a true wonder, as the water was brought from the Euphrates River and flowed day and night through channels confined only for vegetation.
The entire irrigation system of the hanging gardens made them the only wonder of the ancient world that had ecological and organic issues, unlike the rest that were large and monumental statues or buildings.
The hanging gardens did not hang, and they were seen for miles
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon were then a series of pyramidal structures next to the king’s palace.
The truth is that its name is a bit confusing, because in reality these gardens did not hang. The origin of the name has to do with an incorrect translation of the Greek word kremastos or the Latin pensilis, which speaks of “standing out” and not “hanging”.
In reality, they were gardens that were getting higher and higher, reaching up to 90 meters in height according to some ancient chronicles.
Thanks to its structure, there were exotic trees that could be seen from the other side of the city, which boosted more and more the fame of a powerful empire surrounded by greenery in a place where conditions were arid and precarious.
Decline and disappearance of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon
Nebuchadnezzar II was the last great King of Babylon, and he did not only dedicate himself to the construction of gardens. He also dreamed of expanding Babylon and making it a mighty power. To do this, he launched a strong military campaign, with the intention of subjugating nearby territories to his kingdom.
But Nebuchadnezzar II’s dream did not last long, although luckily he did not live to find out. For after his death, the empire he had formed began to crumble little by little.
In a time of strong military conflicts, the city soon passed from the hands of his heir to those of a usurper of military origin. In the 4th century BC when Alexander the Great arrived in Babylon, the gardens were already a pathetic display of their former selves.
They stayed that way for another hundred years until King Evemero destroyed them in 126 BC.
the gardens today
Although the dream of Nebuchadnezzar II did not live long, the legend did, and thousands of researchers have spent many years searching for the place where they could have been.
Today Babylon is part of Iraq, which makes it even more difficult to find the right place, but the British Stephaine Dalley believes that near Hilla, in central Iraq, there are some mountains with those characteristics.
However, if true, it would not have been Nebuchadnezzar II who created the gardens, but Sennacherib, who was in power approximately 2,700 years ago.
Whatever the truth, the history of gardens proves that nature, mixed with human ingenuity, can create great legacies that live forever.
Today we have sustainable architecture and perhaps we should trace its origins back to the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.
Would you have liked to see the Hanging Gardens of Babylon? Tell us what you think in the comments!
Sources:
Wikipedia
web history
Play Academy
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