Recent revelations of a study conducted by Dr. Stephanie Dalley, a historian based in Oxford University, have proved that the Hanging Gardens were actually not located in Babylon and neither were they built by King Nebuchadnezzar.
For centuries now the Hanging Gardens of Babylon have been an issue of intrigue and curiosity among historians, archaeologists and researchers. For a long time now, the existence of the gardens has been questioned.
According to the Daily Mail, after 20 years of detailed research and archaeological sleuthing, Dr. Dalley has finally touched ground on the origins and the existence of one of the most interesting ancient wonders of the world.
Dr. Dalley's research proves that the Hanging Gardens were located in Nineveh, 300 miles to the north of Babylon. Moreover, the belief that the gardens were built by King Nebuchadnezzar were also proved wrong. Apparently, they were originally built by the great Assyrian ruler, Sennacherib.
Dr. Dalley found her first clue when she started studying later historical descriptions of the gardens. A bas-relief found in the palace of Sennacherib had a striking resemblance to the gardens. Further research on Sennacherib revealed that after Assyria had conquered Babylon in 689 B.C, Nineveh was known as the "new Babylon" - which gave the illusion that the Hanging Gardens were actually situated in Babylon. She then went on to compare the topography of Nineveh and Babylon and found that the flat countryside of Babylon would make it impossible to maintain the raised plants.
Further academic digging led Dr. Dalley to more historic documents. She found that they were written by historians who had visited Nineveh, further adding to the proof that the gardens were built in the area.
Read more on the structure and history of the gardens, here.
"It's taken many years to find the evidence to demonstrate that the gardens and associated system of aqueducts and canals were built by Sennacherib at Nineveh and not by Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon. For the first time it can be shown that the Hanging Garden really did exist" Dr. Dalley said to the Independent.
Dalley is now amassing her study of 20 years to publish a book: "The Mystery of The Hanging Garden of Babylon". The book is under print and will be published on May 23 by the Oxford University Press, reports The Guardian.
When the folks at the Guardian asked her to comment on the fact-reversing study, she said:
"That the Hanging Garden was built in Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar the Great is a fact learned at school and ... 'verified' in encyclopedias ... To challenge such a universally accepted truth might seem the height of arrogance, revisionist scholarship ... But Assyriology is a relatively recent discipline ... Facts that once seemed secure become redundant."
Check out a video on the history of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, below:
