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SUMMARY:When the archaeologists are searching for a legend: the (re-)inven
 tion of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon - Marie-Françoise Besnier (Departm
 ent of History and Philosophy of Science)
DTSTART:20130211T130000Z
DTEND:20130211T141500Z
UID:TALK42484@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:29667
DESCRIPTION:The Hanging Gardens of Babylon are the first of Seven Wonders 
 of the World according to Philo of Byzantium. Since then\, they have conti
 nued to hang in Western imagination and fantasy. Despite their insubstanti
 al and elusive character\, representations\, based upon ancient Greek and 
 Roman descriptions\, are numerous from the Middle Ages onwards. At the ver
 y end of the XIXth century\, the discovery of Babylon by archaeologists pr
 ovided new information: in the ruins of Babylon\, Robert Koldewey recognis
 ed the vestiges of the Hanging Gardens. Many more reconstructions and deba
 tes followed\, on the appearance of the now 'real' Hanging Gardens of Baby
 lon\, and their location in the city or elsewhere. The aim of this paper i
 s not to provide a definite answer to the mystery of the Hanging Gardens o
 f Babylon\, but rather to focus on their position in the history of Ancien
 t Near Eastern gardens\, and especially to recall the history of the resea
 rch concerning them\, that often witnesses the influence of our own dreams
  and visions of the Near East.
LOCATION:Seminar Room 1\, Department of History and Philosophy of Science
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