HANGING GARDENS

OF BABYLON

EVOLUTION OF ARCHITECTURE – II ; 4TH SEMESTER; ARCHITECTURE, TOWN AND REGIONAL PLANNING, IIEST, SHIBPUR

PANKAJ KUMAR SAHOO SOUPTIK DAS ANIRBAN MAZUMDER TAMOGHNA DEY

Introduction

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon were one of the Seven

Wonders of the Ancient World listed by Hellenic culture.
According to the Babylonian proverb from Ashurbanipal’s
Library it is said that “The life of day before yesterday has
departed today.”
It was said to have been built in the ancient city of Babylon,
near present-day Hillah , Babil province, in Iraq. The Hanging
Gardens' name is derived from the Greek word kremastós (
lit. 'overhanging'), which has a broader meaning than the
modern English word "hanging" and refers to trees being
planted on a raised structure such as a terrace. The thing
which made gardens of Babylon so famous to world is the
presence of gardens on all stories of the entire building ,Built
by King Nebuchadnezzar II (ruled between 605 and 562 BC).
The king made this garden for his Median wife Queen
Amytis, because she missed the green hills and valleys of her
homeland. The construction of the Hanging Gardens has also
been attributed to the legendary queen Semiramis, who
supposedly ruled Babylon in the 9th century BC, and they
have been called the Hanging Gardens of Semiramis as an
alternative name.
Location
It is the one in seven wonders of word which does not exist
in now a days. And its also a fact that its presence is also a
doubt.
There are different views of archaeologists about its
existence: Firstly it was believed that it was located in the
city- state of Babylon. This idea was given by the early
history writers belonging to that age. The second
supposition about the location of the city that it was
located near the on the banks of the River Euphrates,
south of present-day Baghdad, capital of Iraq.
The third and most accurate idea about the existence of
the city has taken many years to find the evidence to
demonstrate that the gardens and associated system of
aqueducts and canals were built by Sennacherib at
Nineveh at the bank of River Tigris and not by
Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon. For the first time it can be
shown that the Hanging Garden really did exist.
Historical Background

Nobody knows if the Hanging Gardens ever existed, if they did,

they certainly would have been a sight to behold. The use of
gardens has been a part of history for centuries. In ancient
civilizations, gardens were a way of showing one’s worth in
society. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, one of the Seven
Wonders of the World are documented to have been built
approximately 2500 years ago in 600 BC. The gardens were
built on orders of King Nebuchadnezzar II. There is a love story
described behind construction of the city is that, the King had
the gardens constructed for his wife, Amytis, who was
homesick of her home country in the forested hills of Persia.
The Hanging Gardens probably did not really "hang" in the
sense of being suspended from cables or ropes. The name
comes from an inexact translation of the Greek word
kremastos, or the Latin word pensilis, which means not just
"hanging", but "overhanging" as in the case of a terrace or
balcony. It is sometimes called The Hanging Gardens of
Semiramis referring to the legendary Queen Semiramis. The
Queen ruled Babylon for 5 years and some believe that
Hanging Gardens of Babylon were constructed by her.
Constructional information

Deodars Siculus described the hanging gardens as a "series of

super imposed terraces of reducing size, rising to a height of
75 feet”. Strabo said it was much larger, with a square base
with each side 400 feet long. The water could have been
brought from the Euphrates River to the garden by irrigation
and a series of buckets or pulleys. Further he stated that the
platforms on which the garden stood consisted of huge slabs
of stone, covered with layers of asphalt and tiles. Over this
was put “a covering with sheets of lead” that the wet which
drenched through the earth might not rot the foundation.
Upon all these was laid earth of a convenient depth, sufficient
for the growth of the greatest trees.” Gardens would have
been multi-level terraces supported by baked brick columns.
These columns would have been filled with dirt to allow large
plantings and trees to root and grow. To build the gardens the
first thing that they did was to make a series of brick arches to
hold them. They were ten stories high, and had a shaded
courtyard underneath. On top of them, the workmen built the
brick terraces. They lined the terraces with lead and put a
thick layer of soil on top. On the platform Nebuchadnezzar
ordered his men to plant every kind of tree and plant,
importing them from all over the kingdom.
These gardens consists the plants of almonds,
juniper, dates, olives, plums, pears and grapes.
Beautiful trees such as cypress, oak, ash, willows
and firs were planted as well as ferns, date
palms, vines, aloe plants and flowers such as rock
roses, water lilies and incense bushes. The wood
from the trees were also a practical resource for
construction, with palm wood being adequate
with its strong and hard to rot properties.The
entire structure measured around 400 feet by
400 feet. According to ancient accounts, the
gardens were built like sloped hillsides with
several levels of flowerbeds.
Garden Construction
Construction of the garden wasn't only complicated by
getting the water up to the top, but also by having to
avoid the liquid ruining the foundations once it was
released. Since stone was difficult to get on the
Mesopotamian plain, most of the architecture utilized
brick. Diodorus Siculus, a Greek historian, stated that the
platforms on which the garden stood consisted of huge
slabs of stone, covered with layers of reed, asphalt and
tiles. Over this was put "a covering with sheets of lead,
that the wet which drenched through the earth might not
rot the foundation. The bricks were composed of clay
mixed with chopped straw and baked in the sun. These
were then joined with bitumen, a slimy substance, which
acted as a mortar. Upon all these was laid earth of a
convenient depth, sufficient for the growth of the greatest
trees. When the soil was laid even and smooth, it was
planted with all sorts of trees, which both for greatness
and beauty might delight the spectators.
Irrigation System

If Babylon's buildings boasted of its great wealth, then

the gardens would've demonstrated the engineering
skills of their architect. It's no small feat to keep plants
thriving in the desert, but to transport water to flowers
perched atop a nearly five-story building is a monstrous
challenge.
The gardens would have relied on the Euphrates as
their irrigation source, and the water would likely have
been transported through a pumping system made of
reeds and stone and stored in a massive holding tank.
From the tank, a shaduf (a manually-operated water-
lifting device) would have delivered water to the plants.
Irrigation System:
Three systems of irrigation are assumed to be used for
irrigation in the city: Chain Pump system, Archimedes’
screw, Crain Type Shedopes.
Chain Pump System – The Babylonians created a water
pump that transported water from the Euphrates River
up to the Hanging Gardens. They created the pump by
attaching buckets to a chain. The chain was connected to
two big wheels at the top and bottom. These would allow
the chain to come back up after it went to the bottom to
retrieve the water.A historian by the name of Philo,
described these water pumps: Slaves powered the chain
by pulling it so that it would continue to move. As the
chain moved, the buckets would go into the river and fill
with water. They tipped over at the top of the pump so
that the high gardens could be reached and irrigated.

Evidence of these pumps may have been discovered in

1899 by the archeologist, Robert Koldewey. Babylonian
engineers designed an advanced system of shafts to
carry buckets of water continuously. The water carried in
the buckets filled the fountains and pools in the Garden.
The energy to allow this was supplied by slaves turning
massive screws. This well system was the first and only of
its kind in Babylon. They also used massive slabs of stone,
which was unheard of in Babylon, to prevent the water
from eroding the ground.
 Archimedes’ screw

Archimedes’ Screw: An alternate method of getting the

water to the top of the gardens might have been a
screw pump. This device looks like a trough with one
end in the lower pool from which the water is taken
with the other end overhanging an upper pool to which
the water is being lifted.
Fitting tightly into the trough is a long screw. As the
screw is turned, water is caught between the blades of
the screw and forced upwards. When it reaches the top,
it falls into the upper pool.
Turning the screw can be done by a hand crank. A
different design of screw pump mounts the screw inside
a tube, which takes the place of the trough. In this case
the tube and screw turn together to carry the water
upward.

CrainType Shedopes : It consisted upon a bucket, a

rope, a lever and supports.
Decline

There are many theories regarding the devastation of the

gardens. There is an ongoing debate between researchers
regarding the structure’s downfall. Different possibilities are
described for its ruined state.
Lack of Maintenance: Lack of maintenance along with the
unavailability of adequate amount of water may have caused
the gardens’ downfall.
Earthquake: It is hypothesized that a continuous series of
earthquakes in the past may have demolished the structure.
Army Attack: It is also thought that army of another state may
have destroyed and plundered the gardens when they attacked
the city of Babylon.
However, none of these theories are established. Different people
point to different answers, as a result, until any further research
is done, the mystery of the downfall of one of the ancient world’s
seven wonders will stay hidden in time.
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