Seven Wonders of the Ancient World
Seven Wonders of the Ancient World : Great
Pyramid of Giza | Hanging
Gardens of Babylon | Statue
of Zeus at Olympia | Temple
of Artemis | Mausoleum
of Maussollos | Colossus
of Rhodes | Lighthouse
of Alexandria
Hanging Gardens of Babylon
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon (also known as Hanging Gardens of Semiramis) and the walls of Babylon (near present-day Al Hillah in Iraq) were considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World. They were both supposedly built by Nebuchadnezzar II around 600 BC. He is reported to have constructed the gardens to please his wife, Amyitis of Media, who longed for the trees and beautiful plants of her homeland. The lush Hanging Gardens are extensively documented by Greek historians such as Strabo and Diodorus Siculus, but otherwise there is little evidence for their existence. In fact, there are no Babylonian records of any such gardens having existed. Some circumstantial evidence gathered at the excavation of the palace at Babylon has accrued, but does not completely substantiate what look like fanciful descriptions. Through the ages, the location may have been confused with gardens that existed at Nineveh, since tablets from there clearly show gardens. Writings on these tablets describe the possible use of something similar to an Archimedes' screw as a process of raising the water to the required height.
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