The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1894-01-02
a ROY AL cir i.
u, the Hanging Gardens OF """'
Ia, Came to BE Butt.

How ,tc Eungiug Gardens OF h""!
rn, Came to BE Buii'
Bv Fred Myron Colby
- to,e All heard of the hanging tdi
-, - 19.bz,Idp one of the seven "ol'nei"
nf +he world, but perhaps you 90 mo- Ni'o"
,t.t rht.y were t4c O'rtr ld' ~ "
- mis- o1een. SIX hundred Vc''r7 o@i''', =.
Christian era, Nebuchadnezzir ""'
~ RabvIou. He was sort OF orleh'1i Az"
,,oia,,n ana i,au established Il p""T'i"l
,,ira which -vas the leading Sta-e OF 'i''
world during his time 4,o
hanging Saroens. lie Wa9 tAN 10 n9,,1c
hnilnar of the eastern monarchs' ne Nc
Tt1.Io,, the splendor and the "ohuet u
+he world. 1t was a great cl.y' 49,
,cIare built on both sides OF the AuPiii ~,
md was sixty miles in circumference. l-ia
st enace was iuclosed by a wall pet"co',
~ "a three hundred feet in height anu
80, foot in width built all of brick, win d
hnndred brass gates, twenty-five Oh e"Nh
side. ..e,,, o;+,, Ieaiar
calls it "the Golden City, ana us siois
e0 nj a., uaaIJy We're the narVel
80 tho ancient writer's. But IL was az hO
other period so grand ana so sulilui "
IN the lays of ACKNOWLEDGMENT. NIe'' '
ylas and palaces covering acres u = ~ .'I
- rising hioh in the dir. ad n'"u w"
IA and silver the walls succeed WIN
1ei,tiuss ana ornamented Win car Ninso'
6road fields rich With hh.'" ~ -,
long streets straight as an arrow 'ho
,.,.+,.,.n-..nr uu4NS brick Tp.h' lh1 'N.i.S
+1i5 .1,,,Is md fhte broa /, shining rNer
rlaset~ar through the midst, gave ga yfh
an unrivaled appearance W nm ''e e'',i-e
s,In lighted up the view Win u,e - +t'Du'
1,,,os seen only undor eaete.N 'F'''S. -! "
ct have seemed like a fairy vision
- the travellers that beheld l. 'or -'i9 i''8'
time. ,-+js was
,,o,,nse and beautiful. She was Neue ny
Naji3. Her country lay to the east ol
I%oT+-,r,7 ard vas a land of hills ard val
Ievs. high mountains and Durhng cascdues.
srnvt.s nad grown up acc"Stoiii0u " -,
rugged landscape, and when She Wa o.
to Rabvlon which stood in vast P'','
az. ra1-eI as a floor she tired of the monot-
onous hatness and longed for the "lld
beauties OF ler mountain nome He NJ
niict. 4 halls, the rich carVin@9' We -,
,ng coIors. the pageantry and the state couid
not compensa, It Tor the green l'iiS anu
leaning fountains of her birthlani.
Al last the king resolved to build some
Thing that should take her thoughts away
from her chiIdhood's home. and that Is no"
he devised the hanging gardens.
This great work was an elevated rather
than = Hanging garden. In fact, 1t was
nothing else than an artificial mountain
covered with trees and plants and gay
of fountains. roo F..
The base of the garden was 30 feet
square. From this foundation rose terrace
above terrace to the number of twenty.
resting on arches, and rising to helght
exceeding that of the city walls The
terraces themselves We're formed, of a sue
cessiou of piers, the tops of Whlch were
covered by fat stones sixteen feet in length
and four feet i'll width. Upon these were
spread beds Of mating. then thick layer
OF bitunen. covered with sheets OF lead.
This solid pavement was oVerlald with
earth to a depth sufficient TO afford nourish-
rlent to the roots of the largest trees.
Every plant that could be found in the
regions under Nebuchadnezzar's sway were
transplanted on these terraces, and they
were all kept in fourishng condition by
water raj I'd from the Euphrates by means
of hydraulic engines concealed within the
galleries. The hanging gardens thu con-
tinuaIly presented the appearance of a
mountain clothed in rich verdure
Two years were spent in building the gar
dcns. and a hundred thousand workmen
were employed No one knows what they
cost but it must have been vast sum.
They stood in the large park in the rear
of Nebuchadnezzar palace, and every day
Queen Amyts, looking out of the lattice of
her chamber. could this mountain para
disc growing under her eye.
The day after it was finished was her
fwenty-first birthday and unusual prepara-
tions were made for rejoicing. 1t is not
hard to recall all the scenes Of a Babylon
ian holiday We can imagine the royal
guards, dressed in their bright scarlet
cloaks their brazen greaves. habergeOns
and helmets embossed with gold, bearing
FURNISHED shields and glittering weapons;
the mobiles in their embroidered robes and
bearing the wands of command Cantering
through the crowds on hgh-Tn titled steeds,
and the countless pOpulace surging hither
and thither now carried away by mimic
bottle or excited over a lion hunt in the
park
From the portico of their lofty palace
NebUchadneZZar and his queen could OBJ
serve all the display. Often the pretty
queen would clap her hands squadron
after squadron of say cavalry rushed by.
Sometimes. no doubt, she would take the
bow and arrow from her royal husband and
shoot at a tawny lion or a. gray boar bound
ing along the green. Then the whole pro-
asramme changed as # by magic and the
court went out on the CLASSY waves of the
FuphrateS in bargeS that were covered
with gold and had purple cloth for sails,
while the oars moved to the music of harps
and trumnats.
When the sun began to lower and the
great shadows lay upon the Chaldean plains
the king and queen assembled to the gardens.
StairWayS led from terrace to terrace and
the royal couple gradually rose higher and
higher in the air. Each platform presented
a new attraction. On one terrace the tall
cedar of Lebanon grew side by side with the
datepalm of the desert; another thou
sand flowers bloomed and the odor of olive
blossoms scented the air. Green grass vel
veted the sward of one PLATFORM shining
sand made another look like a desert.
on the way up among the arches that sus-
tanned the terraces, were stately apart
fnents variously decorated and furnished
Cool and pleasant they must have been
on a hot summer day, splendid retreats ior
nearied royalty to resort to in the heat OF
the Syrian midsummer.
But the glory of the whole was the upper
terrace This was an area of more than an
acre 200 feet in the air. richly luXurlant
with tropical foliage. Trees sixty feet IN
height reared their tops towards heaven;
creeping vines and many flowers covered
the soil with their beauty. In the center
arose the miniarets and towers of NINA
ture summer palace gem of architecture.
Queen Amytis clasped her jeweled hands.