Hanging Gardens and water

                                                                                         

A trip into history is always fun.

Travel with me to one of the ancient wonders of the world. I now take you into ancient history. Babylon to be exact. What does Babylon and water have in common, especially given that Babylon sits right in the midst of present day Iraq?

Water wasn’t easy to come by! No water bottles, no faucets or water hoses. So then, why did Babylon, make it into the 7 wonders of the world list?

As every civilization since the beginning of time has had to plant itself near water for survival, Babylon sat right between where the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers connect. Babylon actually means “gate of God”. For its day, it was considered the cradle of mankind.

During the reign of Nebuchadnezzar the II (from 605 BC to 562 BC) things were looking up. They had conquered Jerusalem. They were prosperous. They were feared. And Nebuchadnezzar was brilliant.

Nebuchadnezzar is said to have constructed the 7th wonder of the world, the “Hanging Gardens of Babylon”. He reportedly constructed them to please his wife, Amytis of Media, who longed for the trees and fragrant plants of her homeland.

The lush Hanging Gardens really weren’t “hanging” at all. The Greek word originally used was translated thus. In fact, they were tiered gardens and the plants “hung” over the terraces.

Irrigation, of course, would have been the main problem for two reasons. First, Babylon rarely got rain and for the gardens to survive, it would have to have been irrigated by using water from the Euphrates River. His account says slaves working in shifts turned screws to lift water to irrigate the trees, shrubs and flowers.

The second problem was construction, as the water could wreck the foundation once it was released. Most of the buildings during that time were made of brick. It was said that not only did Nebuchadnezzar create our first irrigation system, but also invented our first version of concrete or asphalt. He used baked bricks set in gypsum to avoid crumbling and deterioration due to the constant moisture.

Today, thankfully, water is much easier to come by. Water is purified, stored in sanitized bottles, and right at your fingertips. How much easier today to grab a bottle of water, than to have to haul it with buckets!

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