One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon is the only one whose location has not been definitively established. The various speculations regarding the location of this Seven Wonders was the topic of a talk by Stephanie Dalley titled “The Mysterious Hanging Gardens of Babylon.” Stephanie Dalley is a British scholar of the Ancient Near East and is now retired as a Research Fellow from the Oriental Institute, Oxford. Dalley’s primary interest is her investigation into the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, and her proposal that it was situated in Nineveh, and constructed during Sennacherib's rule. Dalley began the talk by describing the Hanging Gardens’ distinctive structure.The gardens are believed to have been a remarkable feat of engineering, which included an ascending series of tiered gardens containing a variety of trees, shrubs, and vines. The gardens were said to have looked like a large …show more content…
Tracing the history of the Garden, Dalley describes how the decipherment of an original text and its link to sculpture in the British Museum has enabled her to pin down where the Garden was positioned. Though many writing indicate that the Hanging Gardens were in Babylon, Dalley argues that maps may have been confused, and the writers were actually talking about Nineveh. Not only did “The Mysteries of the Hanging Gardens” by Stephanie Dalley provide a unique insight on an ancient wonder, but it was also great to attend an event outside of my major. Though I knew some about the Hanging Gardens from past history courses, I certainly did not know about its origins (or the multiple possible origins) or its specific features. The event was insightful, memorable and allowed me to explore one of the many mysterious outside my
Objects in the garden that reflect the reality of the lot and not the fantasy of the garden are not transformed into bigger than life images, but silent, unseeing objects. Abandoned cars, weeds, and rotting wood close their eyes and sleep. Sleeping, these objects are hidden, unable to see themselves or others in the garden. “ worms blind and afraid of the light” and “ spiders” hide under the surface of the garden, unable to see the reality of the lot (paragraph 4).
The unusual thing about the garden is where it’s located, because it’s located on top of a building surrounded by a city.
Ever since man began building structures and settling land, art has manifested itself in our architectural creations. Whether it be to celebrate or worship a God or Gods, a grand sculpture to bury a powerful leader or remember them by, or to show a culture’s dedication to specific values, our architectural constructions have led to some of the finest art this Earth has ever seen. The Taj Mahal and Palace of Versailles are two great examples of such art. By examining each of these individually, and then comparing and contrasting them, it will become clear that no matter how different looking these buildings may be, they still serve the same purpose to the civilizations that erected them.
The scenery of Annmarie Gardens is, on an average day with no major events, serene. The paved path weaves in and out of the sculpture gardens as it guides its visitors on a quarter-mile journey. Thirteen benches, called the
“There were orchards, heavy leafed in their prime, and vineyards with the long green crawlers carpeting the ground between the rows. There were melon patches and grain fields. White houses stood in the greenery, roses growing over them. And the sun was gold and warm.
Along the side of the walkway in the pergola was a garden of small trees and shrubbery. Plants were present everywhere in the Palace, along the pergola and the rotunda, befitting the theme of a decaying ruin, overrun by nature. According to Maybeck, "it is the water and the trees" that people came to see (Macomber, 23). The natural scenery was integral to his design. The combination of majestic
Ancient Egypt, which lasted as a powerful empire from 3150 to 30 BC, left a huge legacy on the world of construction and architecture. Although their architecture revolved around veneration of the dead, it served as inspiration to many Greek buildings and as a key source for Hadrian’s Canopus design. Through his travels to Alexandria, Egypt, Hadrian was inspired for the overall design of the estate by attempting to recreate an Alexandrian garden with sacred landscapes, as seen through the Villa’s structures conforming to the terrain. Unfortunately, in the 16th century AD, these example of an Alexandrian garden, created through the use of statuary and fountains were removed from Hadrian’s villa and re-used in order to create a Renaissance garden based upon “Roman” ideals of gardening. The large lake in the center of the Canopus is representative of a branch of the Nile River that connects Alexandria to the Egyptian city of Canopus on the Nile Delta, for which this section of his villa was named after. The city of Canopus was long revered for its great nocturnal celebrations for which Hadrian wanted to recreate through
At the beginning of this summer, I embarked on a journey through history by going to the Carnegie Museum of Art and Natural History in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The museum is one of my favorites because of its variety of exhibits of history in both science and art. With every trip, the museum always has something new to offer. Going to the museum felt like a completely new experience with the new perspective I have coming from this class. There were many parts of history to look at, but the ones that stood out to me the most was their exhibit on Ancient Egypt. I thoroughly enjoyed the exhibit’s information on the artifacts and the funerary practices of this ancient
A huge wistaria vine covered the whole front of the house. The trunk, it was too large to call a stem, rose at the corner of the porch by the high steps, and had once climbed its pillars; but now the pillars were wrenched from their places and held rigid and helpless by the tightly wound and knotted arms. It fenced in all the upper story
This is proof of the Sumerian architectural abilities. The architecture in Mesopotamia are considered to have been contemporary with the founding of the Sumerian cities, but there was some complexity in the architectural design during this Protoliterate period (c. 3400-c. 2900 BC). This is shown in the design of many religious buildings. Typical temples of the Protoliterate period--both the platform type and the type built at ground level--are, however, much more elaborate both in planning and ornament. The interior was decorated with cones sunk into the wall, covered in bronze. Most cities were simple in structure, but the ziggurat was one of the world's first complex architectural structures.
Ever since ancient times, humans have used their uniquely creative minds to organize and construct awe-inspiring architecture. Our planet, once an empty canvas for human innovation, is now coated with manmade constructions. But before towering skyscrapers, grand hotels, and modern chapels came into existence, the world was bejeweled with ancient forms of engineering. Two of the more popular constructions from the ancient world include Stonehenge and the Egyptian pyramids at Giza. These incredible megaliths are seemingly very different, but share various similarities, and both help archaeologists gain insight to the religious beliefs and socio-political organization of the people who constructed them.
A garden that holds your secrets, that is a secret itself, holds a special spot in the book “The Secret Garden”. The garden is described as an overgrown hidden beauty that has not been seen for ten years. The woman who created the garden passed away because of an accident; in turn, her husband becomes bitter and wrathful. The door which led to the garden was locked and the key was buried while the orders were given for no one to enter the garden again. There’s more to the garden than just being hid away. The garden is a secret to some very important characters in this story, but why? Perhaps the overgrown secret may even have a secret of its own.
Thesis Statement: The Great Pyramid is a mystery to the modern age, even though its
In conclusion this paper attempts to understand why with all the similarities between Egypt and Babylon, what is/are the reason(s) Egypt has survived and continues to do so, while the one time most powerful kingdom in the world, Babylon, lies in ruin.
In the book “Visionaries and Planners” the author, Buder, analyzes the impacts of the Garden