There is no conclusive evidence among the ruins of Babylon that such a garden ever existed, nor the irrigation system needed to maintain it amid the desert landscape. Also, the breathtaking accounts of the foliage were all composed well after the fall of Babylon in 539 BCE; there are no contemporary descriptions of the Hanging Gardens, even though other achievements of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign were recorded at the time.
The current theory is that there was such a hanging garden in Nineveh, and the correct info got lost, and possibly exaggerated, in the historical shuffle.
Fake news. I mean, there’s nothing inaccurate in your post nor in the linked story. But it’s a nonstory in that the “alternative” account is almost certainly true & self-evident. The irrigation was a marvel & sufficient to inspire the legend. Aside from the engineering & human lives & countless hours of labor, the promiscuous growth of all manner of alien vegetation imported & planted in the Levant (Fertile Crescent), that was indeed a true wonder of ancient times in that region. That’s an interesting story itself & a cautionary tale, that the glorious days of providence lasted for millennia, yet in the end was a temporary condition of the geography. The tragic end of the story is the inevitable silt deposition from its greatest rivers. To be fair, I’m focusing on the oldest civilization, Ur which fell after thousands of years of legendary grandeur. During its demise, invaders took advantage in a helpless rump government, conquered them & salted the lush fields.
Babylon & later powers continued to draw on the symbolism of Ur’s greatness, imitating key elements of the legend for self-promotion. Long, long later, Rome salted the fields of Carthage.
Babylon was built right on the bank of the Euphrates, but as rivers are want to do, it diverted quite a distance away over time. I have seen sunken river boats excavated 1/2 mile away from the current course of the Mississippi.
PR