Member-only story
An Oasis in the Sky
Exploring the Hanging Gardens of Babylon
We’ve all heard about Babylon’s Hanging Gardens in one way or another. From its flowing aqueducts to its exotic flora, this ancient wonder of the world needs no introduction.
Despite all the records of it, there is no physical evidence of these gardens ever existing. While we may never know the truth behind this lost Eden, that doesn’t mean we can’t look into it.
Birth of an Empire
While many are familiar with the Babylon of Biblical times, it is certainly not the first civilization of its kind.
Deep in West Asia, in the confluence of the Tigris and Euphrates, the land of Mesopotamia had been occupied long before the time of the gardens. First by the Sumerians, then the Amorite Dynasty, both originating and dissolving millennia before the Hanging Gardens were even an idea.
The Neo-Babylonian Empire came into power around 620 BCE, marking the start of the Chaldean Empire. King Nebuchadnezzar II rose to power soon after.
He swiftly reinvigorated the stagnating Empire through military expansion, including sacking Jerusalem and expanding Babylonian rule across the Levant.
Military conquest didn’t stop the king from his domestic pursuits. Nebuchadnezzar famously built the large, sandstone walls surrounding Babylon along with the blue-tiled Ishtar Gate, welcoming all visitors to the capital city.
However, his most famous accomplishment was motivated by his love for his wife. Queen Amytis had grown homesick; tired of the sand and dust of Babylon, she longed for the green and luscious nature of her home.
Wanting to be a good husband, Nebuchadnezzar began construction on what would be one of history’s most mythologized achievements.
The Gardens
We don’t have any archaeological evidence to determine how the gardens were built or what they looked like. However, descriptions go into detail about the appearance of this wonder of the ancient world.
