Chapter 3: Kingdoms and Empires in the Middle East "The Hanging Gardens of Babylon"

Introduction
Students have read about the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, built during the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar as part of his efforts to make Babylon the most beautiful city of the world. In this activity students compare what ancient historians reported about the Gardens to what modern-day archaeologists have discovered.

Lesson Description
Students will go to The Hanging Gardens of Babylon Web site. They will then answer four questions about what they have read.

Instructional Objectives
1. The students will learn that original sources of ancient history must be verified.
2. The students will learn what modern-day archaeologists do to verify or discount historical accounts.

Student Web Activity Answers
1. Greek historians gave detailed descriptions of the Gardens, although they never saw them. Their descriptions may have been based on reports by returning soldiers of Alexander the Great.
2. It is in Iraq.
3. Archaeologists have uncovered the foundation of the palace, the Vaulted Building with thick walls, and an irrigation well.
4. Students' answers will vary but might include the irrigation system, the massive walls that formed the terraces, the labor and expense used to produce such a structure, or that the Gardens may not have existed at all.

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