The Hanging Gardens didn’t truly “disappear” until every corner of the Middle East was mapped. Before that, they were real in the deep imagination - an echo of paradise. Even if they were never "real".
Just shows how imagination and reality shape one another.
Love this! This is the kind of reading I was looking for on Substack. The seven wonders really intrigued me when I was a kid. The hanging gardens especially. I do like to believe they were real!
Nice reconstructions of those marvels. There still are discussions about the meaning of the hanging gardens, as, were they terraced, were the plants potted on balconies, were they on rooftops? Also about the colossus, how was it standing, how tall was it, was it really a human figure or two inclined columns holding fire? I hope you managed to understand what I wrote down.
Considering what is going up architecturally these days, it makes one wonder if we're moving forward. What tools, materials and technology were available to the old builders? I have been to Rhodes and did see the historical deer sculptures of Elefos and Elfina at the entrance to Mandraki harbor where the colossus' feet are supposed to have stood. But now, new research denies this. Regardless, the wonders you state, were, are and will remain matchless.
The surviving giant of Giza proves this. And nobody will ever know how it was built.
The Hanging Gardens didn’t truly “disappear” until every corner of the Middle East was mapped. Before that, they were real in the deep imagination - an echo of paradise. Even if they were never "real".
Just shows how imagination and reality shape one another.
love this, @justi anderson. It reminds me of the quote from Herman Melville’s ‘Moby Dick’ on Queequeg’s homeland Kokovoko:
“It is not drawn on any map; true places never are.” 🙂
The works of man are but dust in the wind.
Great article as usual. It is fascinating that only the oldest wonder has survived.
Do we have high quality sketches of the wonders that survived until the medieval period? Was that image of the lighthouse drawn from life?
Love this! This is the kind of reading I was looking for on Substack. The seven wonders really intrigued me when I was a kid. The hanging gardens especially. I do like to believe they were real!
Nice reconstructions of those marvels. There still are discussions about the meaning of the hanging gardens, as, were they terraced, were the plants potted on balconies, were they on rooftops? Also about the colossus, how was it standing, how tall was it, was it really a human figure or two inclined columns holding fire? I hope you managed to understand what I wrote down.
V b p hum I’ll p pop looks
Considering what is going up architecturally these days, it makes one wonder if we're moving forward. What tools, materials and technology were available to the old builders? I have been to Rhodes and did see the historical deer sculptures of Elefos and Elfina at the entrance to Mandraki harbor where the colossus' feet are supposed to have stood. But now, new research denies this. Regardless, the wonders you state, were, are and will remain matchless.
The surviving giant of Giza proves this. And nobody will ever know how it was built.