1994/01/01 by Stephanie Dalley · 2 citations
Arts and Humanities · #Ancient Near East History #Historical, Religious, and Philosophical Studies #Ancient Egypt and Archaeology #Cuneiform #Reign #German #Akkadian #Ancient history #Quarter (Canadian coin) #History #Excavation #Literature #Art #Archaeology #Politics #Law #Political science
paper · doi:10.1017/s0021088900002801
openalex publication_date 1994/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/05/21
Classical sources describing the Hanging Gardens give a wealth of detail which has never matched up with information from cuneiform sources or archaeological finds. This study reconciles them. In doing so it shows how some confusions in Classical accounts may have their origin in Akkadian sources, and are not due simply to misunderstanding and error. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, one of the Seven Wonders of the world in Classical tradition, were marvellous not merely for being raised upon vaults, but also for an innovative system for watering them. Popularly attributed to Nebuchadnezzar II, of the 6th century B.C., they are not mentioned in any of the copious and remarkably complete written sources for that king's reign, nor have they come to light in extensive excavation of his palaces in Babylon, carried out by a large German team over more than a quarter of a century.