The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1870-04-09
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon.

The great Babylonian king Nebuc.
hadnexzer (died B. G. 56l), when be
had completed his conquests, as he
found himself in possession oftressures
uncounted, and csptiVes by tens of
thousands, determined, also, to signal
ize his reign by some Of the triumphs
of peace. He built n new palace of
colossal dimensions, and surrounded it
with a triple wall, the outer one of
which was some seven miles in circuit;
he enclosed the city of Babylon with q
wall, which, Herodotus says, was about
three hundred and thirty-fve feet high,
and made the Hanging Gardens.
This last work was undertaken to
crafty his wife, Amyitis, q Median
princess. Having passed her younger
days in a mountainous region, she dis
liked the uniform level of the country
around Babylon, and pined for the
woods and hills Of Media. The lofty
rocks and various trees of this wonder
full paradise were an attempt to initiate
Median scenery. These gardens were
high enough to overlook the walls of
the city, and occupied q square 400
feet on side.
It has been . question how these
gardens were supported ut this great
height, as it was, until lately, taken for
granted that the Bsbylonians did not
understand the principle of the arch.
But it is now known that very perfect
arches we're built in Egypt, in Assyria,
and in Babylonia centuries before Neb-
uchsdnezzer's time, and so the question
is simpliied.
The ancient Romans, when they had
to carry stone acqueduct across 3
stone ravine, sometimes built three or
four tiers Of arches, one above another,
till the required level at which the
water was to be carried was reached.
In the same manner, only on q larger
scsle, was this mound of gardens raised.
They built one story of arches cover
ing the required space on this was
placed a second story and thus story
after story was raised. A great mass Of
earth covered the top, and water was
supplied from the Euphrstes through
pipes. Not only flow ers and shrubs
grew there but trees of the largest
size some of them so large that their
trunks, according to Quintus Curtius,
were twelve feet in diameter. The as
cent to the gardens was by steps, and
on the way up, among the arches, were
stately apartments, whose pleasant
c0Olnesa the heat 0f tho climate nould
little efect-OEvsr Optics Magazine.
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