Why read The Mystery of the Hanging Garden of Babylon?

Book cover of The Mystery of the Hanging Garden of Babylon

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The Mystery of the Hanging Garden of Babylon is an exciting story of detection involving legends, expert decipherment of ancient texts, and a vivid description of a little-known civilization. Recognized in ancient times as one of the Seven Wonders of the World, the legendary Hanging Garden of Babylon and its…

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Why read it?

1 author picked The Mystery of the Hanging Garden of Babylon as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Michael Denis Higgins

Author

Like every gardener I know the effects of a short period of neglect, so it is not surprising that nothing remains of the 2,500-year-old Hanging Gardens of Babylon.

So, I am very impressed by what Stefanie Dalley managed to tease out from the scant literary and archeological evidence.

It seems that many of the most ruthless Mesopotamian despots had gardens attached to their palaces. My favorite image is a panel showing the King of Nineveh dining with his wife in a beautiful garden, under the severed head of his enemy suspended from a tree like a Christmas decoration.

From Michael's list on the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.