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." [H.W.F. Saggs ]

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 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 in Babel utilized brick.

Diodorus Siculus, a Greek historian, stated that the platforms on which the garden stood consisted
of huge slabs of stone (otherwise unheard of in Babel), 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 
Archemidius 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.
Evidence:

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.