num_pages: 279
description: Recognized in ancient times as one of the Seven Wonders of the World, the legendary Hanging Garden of Babylon &amp; its location remain to this day a mystery steeped in shadow &amp; puzzling myths. Now offering a brilliant solution to a question that has challenged archeologists for centuries, The Mystery of the Hanging Garden of Babylon is an exciting story of detection as well as a lavishly illustrated &amp; vividly written description of a little-known civilization. In this remarkable volume, Stephanie Dalley, a world expert on ancient Babylonian language, gathers in one place for the first time all the material on this enigmatic wonder. Tracing the history of the Garden, she describes how deciphering an ancient Assyrian text--&amp; comparing it to sculpture in the British Museum--provided the clues that enabled her to pin down where the Garden was positioned (it was not the Babylon we know today) &amp; to describe in detail what it may have looked like. The author also offers a groundbreaking description of the technology behind the Hanging Garden's water supply, highlighting a very early occurrence of the "water-raising screw." Thru her reconstruction of the Garden, Dalley is also able to follow its influence on later garden design. Unscrambling the many legends that have built up around the Garden, including questions about the roles played by Semiramis &amp; Nebuchadnezzar, this intriguing volume shows why this Garden, with its remarkable innovations, deserves its place alongside the Pyramids &amp; the Colossus of Rhodes as one of the most astonishing technical achievements of the ancient world.
language: English
title: The Mystery of the Hanging Garden of Babylon: An Elusive World Wonder Traced
publisher: Oxford University Press (NYC)