Babylon's Hanging Gardens

When learning about the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, there is a bit of imagination that is required.  We all love the idea of Nebuchadnezzar creating this "mountain" for his Persian bride so that she would not miss her homeland so much.  I mean, how can anyone resist a story about a labor of love like that? 

But even with a variety of primary sources from the Ancient World, it was tough for me to really "see" this Wonder without seeing images or something of what it may have looked like.  So, when it came time to teach about it, we decided to create something that we could use as reference for what the Hanging Gardens may in fact have been like. 

So we created a Printable Replica of the Hanging Gardens.  We definitely recommend using cardstock to print these two sheets out on.  You'll need the cardstock for the Gardens replica to hold its shape.  And, this printable replica will come together easiest if you also use an exacto blade.  We used scissors, but it was very tricky to get some of those intricate cuts.

We used images of the Ishtar Gate for part of Nebuchadnezzar's "Mountain", since it seemed likely that some form of Babylonian architecture would have been used. 

In close details, you might notice that we included a waterfall pouring down the mountain, since the pumping of the Euphrates is mentioned in at least one of the primary sources. 

We hope you enjoy this fabulous mini replica and that it is useful for instructional purposes or just for the fun of imagining the Hanging Gardens in an entirely new way.