Babylon’s Garden

　　The approach to the Garden sloped like a hillside and the several parts of the structure rose from one another tier on tier...On all this, the earth had been piled...and was thickly planted with trees of every kind that, by their great size and other charm, gave pleasure to the beholder...The water machines(raised) the water in great abundance from the river, although no one outside could see it.——Diodorus Siculus

　　ruits and flowers... Waterfalls... Gardens hanging from the palace terraces... Exotic animals...This is the picture of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon in most people's minds.It may be surprising to know that they might have never existed except in the minds of Greek poets and historians!

　　巴比伦的空中花园

　　通往花园的道路象山坡一样倾斜着，建筑物的几个部分一层一层地向上交错排列着……泥土在这些上面堆积着……并且浓密地种植着各种各样的树木，它们以其巨大的身躯和其他一些魅力，令观赏者赏心悦目……抽水的机器把大量的水从河中（提升到）上面，尽管没有人从外面能看到它。——Diodorus Siculus

　　水果与鲜花……、瀑布……、花园高悬在宫殿的阳台上……、奇异的动物……，这是大多数人想象中的巴比伦空中花园。让人吃惊的是空中花园除了在希腊的诗人和历史学家的头脑中出现过外，可能从来就没有存在过。