Tales of the Gardens Trivia Quiz

Answer: Antipater of Sidon

It is believed that Antipater of Sidon wrote about the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World in his "Greek Anthology IX.58" in approximately 140 BC. "I have set eyes on the wall of lofty Babylon on which is a road for chariots, and the statue of Zeus by the Alpheus, and the hanging gardens, and the Colossus of the Sun, and the huge labour of the high pyramids, and the vast tomb of Mausolus; but when I saw the house of Artemis that mounted to the clouds, those other marvels lost their brilliancy, and I said, 'Lo, apart from Olympus, the Sun never looked on aught so grand." It must be noted, that the Lighthouse of Alexandria was not on this list but the walls of Babylon, which were massively impressive, were included.

Answer: Babylon

The city of Babylon dates back to approximately 2300 BC, when much of ancient Mesopotamia was under control of the Akkadian empire. Hammurabi, famous for the Code of Laws, made the relatively small, rather insignificant city-state into his capital, which also gave its name to his empire, known as Babylonia.

The importance of the city, however, was short-lived; after Hammurabi's death, it was conquered by the Kassites, and once again became a small city-state that was under the control of whoever had control of the region.

After eventually coming under the control of the Assyrians, the city was freed by the Chaldean leader Nabopolassar, the father of Nebuchadnezzar II.

Answer: Nebuchadnezzar II

The Chaldean king, Nebuchadnezzar II, is credited with the rebuilding of the ancient city of Babylon, first used an Amorite capital, that had fallen under attack and repeated destruction after the death of King Hammurabi. Today Nebuchadnezzar is well-known for his destruction of Jerusalem and subsequent deportation of the Jewish people (Babylonian Captivity), whom he used as laborers to make his capital one of the most beautiful cities in the ancient world.

Historians described the massive walls that protected the city, and the remains of 100 bronze gates have been found.

The famous Ishtar Gate, which led to Procession Street, also may have led to the Tower of Babel. For the second time in its history, Babylon is believed to have become the largest city in the world.

Answer: For a homesick wife, Queen Amytis

It is known that the Chaldean leader Nabopolassar made an alliance with people to the north called Medes in order to defeat the Assyrians. While historians hypothesize that marriage of the oldest son, who became Nebuchadnezzar II, to the daughter of the Median king could have taken place to seal the alliance, no record of any marriage has ever been found. Berossus, a historian who was born c330 BC, some three hundred years later, wrote the story that many learn today about Nebuchadnezzar's homesick queen. Media was a land with apparently lush vegetation and mountains; when Amytis came to the flat, barren Babylon, her husband attempted to recreate the foliage of her homeland in their palace complex.

Answer: Terrace Garden

While some may visualize an area actually hanging when they hear the term "Hanging Gardens", in reality they were "Overhanging Gardens"; the name is translated from the Greek "kremastos", or the Latin "pensilis", which mean "overhanging". According to several ancient historians, such as Strabo, who described the complex some 500 years after construction, "It consists of vaulted terraces raised one above another, and resting upon cube-shaped pillars.

These are hollow and filled with earth to allow trees of the largest size to be planted.

The pillars, the vaults, and terraces are constructed of baked brick and asphalt."

Answer: Euphrates River

Strabo also mentioned in his account that the water came from the Euphrates River; in fact, his account placed the Hanging Gardens on the banks of the river, which, in ancient times, did flow through center of the city. He said, "The ascent to the highest story is by stairs, and at their side are water engines, by means of which persons, appointed expressly for the purpose, are continually employed in raising water from the Euphrates into the garden." Today some would raise the question of the existence of such a place on the banks of the Euphrates, as they would point out the lack of archaeological evidence that has been found near the current site of the river.

It is true, however, that the course of the river has changed since ancient times, and the evidence needed could be located under the current river.

Answer: Robert Koldeway

At the turn of the twentieth century, Koldeway conducted an archaeological excavation of the site of Babylon. He uncovered the massive walls of the city, the Ishtar Gate, and Etemenank, which he believed to be the original Tower of Babel. Ancient texts wrote that Babylon was a mud-brick city; quarried stone was a premium commodity in Mesopotamia, and there were supposedly only two sites in the city that were constructed at least partially of stone: the north wall and the Hanging Gardens. While some argue today that the stone area which Koldeway labeled as the site of the Hanging Gardens was more of a storehouse, it must be remembered that a ziggurat in ancient Mesopotamia had many functions, and the stone base of the Hanging Gardens could have also been used as a type of warehouse on its lower level.

Answer: Chain Pump

The screw pump method, as described by Strabo, would have employed the use of a large screw, that when turned, would have forced water from a pool upward to the different levels. He wrote, "The ascent to the uppermost terrace-roofs is made by a stairway; and alongside these stairs there were screws, through which the water was continually conducted up into the garden from the Euphrates by those appointed for this purpose, for the river, a stadium in width, flows through the middle of the city; and the garden is on the bank of the river".

The alternate method, as proposed by the others, would have been using a chain pump, which would have had two wheels connected by a chain, from which buckets would hang. As the wheels were turned, the buckets would dip into a reservoir of water, and arrive at a upper terrace, where they were emptied. Of course, both methods of irrigation would have been labor-intensive; slaves would probably have been used to power both machines. Three holes found at the site that was determined to have been where the Hanging Gardens were located, suggest this type of irrigation system.

Answer: Earthquake

Some historians believe that Babylon began to decline in importance shortly after the death of Nebuchadnezzar II, and that the city was destroyed by the Persians under Cyrus the Great in approximately 539 BC; it is said that he did spare the Tower of Babel, as he admired the structure, but the remainder of the city was razed.

This is known to be untrue, however, as Babylon was used as the capital of a satrapy by the Persians, and Cyrus the Great used Nebuchadnezzar's palace as his official area residence.

This palace was known to have been in existence during the time of Alexander the Great, and believed to be where he died in 330 BC while visiting the city. It may be true that the plants that were used in the Hanging Gardens were neglected and died within 100 years of its construction, however, the foundation was destroyed by a well-documented series of earthquakes beginning in the second century BC.

After that, the site fell into disuse; the clay bricks, stamped with the name of Nebuchadnezzar II, were used in the construction of structures in nearby towns - including Baghdad!

Answer: Ninevah

One current theory is that ancient documents were incorrectly translated, and the Hanging Gardens actually existed within the Assyrian capital of Ninevah. The Assyrians left behind a library of cuneiform tablets that chronicled the events that took place during the reign of each king, along with a list of what each king accomplished. King Sennecherib claimed to have built such a garden and irrigation system to maintain the plants. An aqueduct system has been found that seems to agree with this claim and has an inscription: "Sennacherib king of the world ... Over a great distance I had a watercourse directed to the environs of Nineveh."