The Hanging Gardens of Babylon

What It Covers

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, one of seven ancient wonders, remains the only wonder with no confirmed location, builder, or physical evidence, making it uniquely mysterious among ancient architectural achievements studied by historians and archaeologists.

Key Questions Answered

• •Location Dispute: Two competing theories place the gardens either in Babylon under Nebuchadnezzar II or in Nineveh under King Sennacherib of Assyria. The Nineveh theory gains credibility from discovered irrigation networks with water-raising screws near Sennacherib's palace, and evidence that multiple cities shared the Babylon name.
• •Construction Motive: Nebuchadnezzar II reportedly built the gardens measuring 400×400 feet and rising 80 feet high as a gesture toward his homesick wife Amythis, who came from the mountainous, green region of Media (modern northern Iran), contrasting sharply with Babylon's flat, arid landscape.
• •Engineering Scale: Ancient accounts describe cube-shaped pillars of asphalt and brick supporting vaulted terraces, walls 22 feet thick, and a mechanical water-raising system. Mesopotamian cultures had already pioneered advanced irrigation, making this engineering scale technically plausible for the period.
• •Archaeological Gap: No Babylonian texts mention the gardens despite detailed records of Nebuchadnezzar's smaller projects, including street names. German archaeologist Robert Koldewey found vaults and chain pumps in Babylon's northern palace, suggesting irrigation infrastructure existed but not confirming the gardens themselves.