
TWO WONDERS, TWO STORIES
Remember Me
Mauslos was a great Persian king. After he died, his wife, Artemisia, wanted him to live in the memory. She decided to build a huge tomb for him. She ordered the most skillful craftsmen in the country to build it. They started building the tomb in 353 BC. Two years later Artemisia died but they continued to work on the structure one more year. They used fine sculptures inside and outside of the mausoleum. The ancient historians agreed that it was one of the most beautiful structures at those times.
Unfortunately, between the 12th and 15th centuries strong earthquakes destroyed the wonderful tomb. It is in ruins today but its name “mausoleum” still lives today.
An Exotic Present
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon were a gift to a queen from her husband, King Nebuchadnezzer II. There were exotic flowers and plants on the climbing terraces. When pretty Amyitis married the king, she started to miss her beautiful green homeland. So, the king ordered his men to build a mountain for her in Babylon. They worked between 605 BC - 562 BC to construct the gardens.
Because it didn’t rain much on this land, the engineers used the water from the nearby Euphrates River. After they finished, the gardens looked like a large green mountain. They were so beautiful that the people couldn’t take their eyes off them. However, the Hanging Gardens were the only legendary ancient wonder because historians couldn’t agree on their location.