Get Sleepy: Sleep meditation and stories - The Hanging Gardens of Babylon (Seven Wonders #3)

Starting point is 00:00:00 Get Sleepy is a production of Slumber Studios and is made possible thanks to the generous support of our sponsors and premium members. If you'd like to listen ad-free and access weekly bonus episodes, extra long stories and our entire back catalogue, you can try out premium free for 7 days by following the link in the episode notes. Now, a quick word from our sponsors. Hey, it's Tom. I'm excited to share with you the newest show from Slumber Studios. It's called Sleepy History, and it's exactly what it sounds like. Intriguing stories, people, mysteries and events from history, delivered in a supremely calming atmosphere. Explore the legend of El Dorado, see what life was like for the Roman gladiators, uncover the myths and mysteries of Stonehenge. You'll find interesting but

Starting point is 00:01:02 relaxing episodes like these on Sleepy History and the same great production quality you've come to know and love from Get Sleepy. So check it out and perhaps you'll have another new way to get a good night's rest. Just search Sleepy History in your preferred podcast player. Welcome to Get Sleepy, where we listen, we relax, and we get sleepy. My name is Thomas and I'm your host. Thanks so much for tuning in. Tonight we'll continue our series exploring the seven wonders of the ancient world. We'll travel back in time to 600 BCE to the Hanging Gardens of Babylon in modern-day Iraq. We'll use historical descriptions, myths and literature to reimagine

Starting point is 00:02:10 this ancient wonder in all its beauty. A big thanks to Joe Steer for writing the stories in this series, which I have the pleasure of reading for you all. And there's no need to worry if you've missed the other stories so far. You can listen to this one now and go back to those ones another time. If you'd love more content from Get Sleepy and the very best listening experience, be sure to check out our members subscription, Get Sleepy Premium. Tomorrow night in our premium bonus episode, Nikki is back with another of her own self-written meditations.

Starting point is 00:02:57 This one is called Sleepy Affirmations to Unwind After a Busy Day, so it will really help you quieten those lingering thoughts that often trouble our minds when we come to bed. To find out more about all the perks of being a Get Sleepy Premium member, like ad-free listening, early access to episodes, discount on merchandise, and plenty more, just visit the link in the description. Thank you so much for your support. Now my friends, before we begin our story, let's take some time to settle in and mindfully bring about some self-care. Find a position that feels comfortable and close your eyes whenever you're

Starting point is 00:03:55 ready. You might like to place a hand across your heart. I'd like you to see if you can generate kind feelings and send some compassion towards yourself. In a moment I'll begin to read some statements and you might like to repeat them, either in your mind or out loud. You're also welcome to create your own statements and say whatever they are. So let's begin. May I be happy, may I be healthy, may I be safe, may I be at peace. Savor the meaning of each word. Know that if it's difficult to feel compassionate towards yourself, the act of trying to is a step in the right direction. Let's try it again. May I be happy, may I be

Starting point is 00:05:35 healthy, may I be safe, may I be at peace. Notice how the body reacts to these statements, observe what kind of feelings sensations come about. And one last time, may I be happy, may I be healthy, may I be at peace. Give yourself thanks for trying this practice and for taking the time to be a friend to yourself. be a friend to yourself. There's nothing left to do now but follow my voice as we travel where our story begins. Imagine that you're standing on a carpet of grass, the colours vivid in the glow of daylight. lime and chartreuse. It glitters like treasure under the Sun. The sky above is sapphire blue and home to a smattering of thin white clouds. The Sun is partially visible behind one such cloud, its orange-gold colours softened by the haze. From where the sun is positioned in the sky, you'd guess that the time was mid-afternoon, though the birds are singing as if it's early morning. Perhaps they've just woken up from a nap. The sunlight is warming against your skin. It's somehow invigorating, yet also relaxing. It's made all the better by a gentle,

Starting point is 00:08:54 cooling breeze that flows around you as you stand in the garden. The air is alive with the scents of nature. You smell sweet fresh fruits and even sweeter flowers. The woodiness of trees blends with mint and lavender, perfuming the garden alongside other aromatic herbs. You breathe in the scents of this fragrant garden, savoring the experience of each inhalation. Thoughts and feelings are released on the exhale, allowing you to be present to your senses and surroundings. The air feels healing and beautifully refreshing, especially when you catch the scents of the river.

Starting point is 00:10:13 Not only the water, but the nature on its surface, like the blossoms of water hyacinth that smell like sweet apples. We've traveled back in time over two and a half thousand years to a place that in future will be located within Iraq. Today it's the city of ancient Babylon in the southernmost part of Mesopotamia. Scribes have been etching the name Babylon onto tablets from as far back as the 22nd century BCE. The city was at the heart of the old Babylonian Empire and a thriving metropolis between the 19th and 16th centuries. the 19th and 16th centuries. As we make our visit in 600 BCE, the city is the capital of the Neo-Babylonian Empire. Babylon is in the midst of its golden age, a hub of culture, politics, and religion, and the largest city in the world. It's referenced frequently throughout the Bible, as well as in the accounts of classical

Starting point is 00:12:04 writers. A handful of those writers have described what the city is best known for, the hanging gardens of ancient Babylon. In the 21st century, thousands of years later, millions of people will still know that name. Many can even picture an ascending tiered garden, vines dangling between huge stone pillars above terraces covered in an array of plant life. And yet in reality little is known for certain, even less than is usual in matters of antiquity. Of all seven wonders, perhaps the gardens are most intriguing, a lost ancient marvel shrouded in mystery. Even their existence is up for debate as no archaeological evidence has been found in the region. Some believe that the gardens are purely mythological being that they're not mentioned in Babylonian texts. What we do know is taken from second hand accounts,

Starting point is 00:13:52 quoting earlier descriptions that have since been lost. So, they could be little more than a romantic legend based on the imaginations of ancient Greek and Roman writers. Many believe that the gardens were real, but that they weren't located in the city of Babylon. Some say they've been mistaken for the gardens of King Sennacherib, a little further north in what was Nineveh at the time. Excavations of this site in modern day Mosul reveal an elaborate water system 80 kilometres long. Aqueducts, canals, dams and water screws allowed the channeling of water from the river Tigris. Accounts of ancient Babylon mention similar engineering, though it may be purely

Starting point is 00:15:12 coincidental. The Greek writer Strabo described the Archimedes screw, cylindrical pipes containing screw-shaped mouldings. This ancient technology allowed water to be pumped upwards from the Euphrates River into irrigation ditches across the gardens. One writer puts the gardens at the top of a citadel, so potentially the water had a long way to travel. Of course, it's possible that there were two separate gardens, that there were two separate gardens, one in Nineveh in the north and one in Babylon further south. A lack of evidence at Babylon doesn't prove its non-existence just as the stories don't prove its existence. After all, the garden would be several millennia old. Many believe that it was destroyed and dismantled following an earthquake in the first century CE, so it isn't surprising that little to nothing remains other than some ancient inventories that list exotic plant life.

Starting point is 00:16:59 It's possible that there's proof at the bottom of the Euphrates, but so far it hasn't been safe to excavate the river. For all we know, the remains of the hanging gardens are nestled on the riverbed like some underwater kingdom. Regardless of whether there were two separate gardens or only one in Nineveh that was mistaken for Babylon, we can still learn much from Sennacherib's gardens. Even if they were separate they likely would have had some things in common and made use of similar features and technology. We can use what we know about these well-documented gardens to form a clearer picture of what Babylon might have looked like.

Starting point is 00:18:12 Sanakarib's gardens were famed for their engineering, which kept nature thriving all year round. all year round. Sanakarib sourced water from further up the mountains as well as using water screws to pump it up from the river. As such he could maintain a tiered oasis on a series of terraces that towered above the treeline. Accounts of the gardens detail a wide range of flora, including plants and herbs brought from far across the empire. Cotton plants were imported from what today is India, along with cedar trees from Turkey and pomegranate trees from Iran. Using what we know about the local environment and relevant descriptions from Babylonian literature, we can take a guess at the trees and plant life that would have grown in the hanging gardens. Plum trees, rosewood, walnut, and oak would likely have counted amongst imported species. These would have grown alongside local flora, olive trees, date palms, and grapevines to name a few. We also have the accounts of a handful of writers, Greeks and

Starting point is 00:20:10 Romans, who described the gardens. Though none had been to Babylon and seen them hand, they'd read the writings of those who perhaps had. Greek historian Diodorus Siculus described a garden that was set within a square. It was 100 feet long by 100 feet wide and built up in tiers so that it resembled a theater. Diodorus talked of a brick structure with walls as thick as 7 meters. At its upper terrace, it was over 20 meters tall and its base was fixed deep within the soil. The Roman Josephus, writing in the 1st century CE, quoted the words of a Babylonian priest. Berosus said the gardens belonged to Nebuchadnezzar II, who'd commissioned them in honor of his wife and queen. According to Berosus, the queen missed her homeland. She'd grown up in scenic Media. The king built the gardens to remind her of home, to bring the lush mountains of Media

Starting point is 00:22:01 to the plains of Babylon. The motive is repeated by other contemporaries, though only Berosus names Nebuchadnezzar. Other writers allude to a mountain-like garden, tinged green in places by moss on the brickwork. We can use such descriptions to build up an image of what the hanging gardens might have looked like. A lack of evidence gives us license to imagine, to blend likely assumptions with facts and history. And so, let's continue to explore the gardens, just as we might imagine them to be. We can learn more about them as we're touring the grounds and breathing in the scent of water hyacinth on the river. The

Starting point is 00:23:19 Euphrates is visible behind the garden. It's a strip of blue-green sparkling in the sunlight, though it's partly obscured by the mountainous structure that draws the eye at the center of the space. Thick brick pillars support the base of the building and the two additional levels positioned above it. With each tier rising, the columns are set more inwards. They appear to grow smaller like the structure of a wedding cake. Those at the bottom are cobalt blue. They've been inlaid with tiles painted and varnished. Each blue column displays the mosaic of an animal, either copper or gold, at the centre of the pillar.

Starting point is 00:24:32 They are too far away to make out clearly, but they shine like stars against a night-coloured background. From the first floor up the columns are different. They're the exact same size but the color of desert sand. This allows nature itself to take the focus. The gardens, it seems, are aptly named. Tangled vines hang down like emerald curtains. The open tears reveal a gamut of green shades from deep forest pine to almost neon lime. The building is reminiscent of an ancient royal temple, a place one might visit to worship nature. There is such an abundance of trees and bushes that it's nearly impossible to tell them apart, though you are able to identify the date palms evenly planted around the base of the structure.

Starting point is 00:26:13 Their rugged trunks are instantly recognizable, being entirely covered in a pattern of small oblongs. covered in a pattern of small oblongs. Their canopies are like crowns of long, pinate leaves. They spill outwards in a fan-like formation. You study the tree's details as you stroll towards the building, your footsteps matched to the rhythm of their swaying. Then veering left, you step away off the lawn and onto sand-colored stones. Together these stones form a golden walkway framed at each side by palm trees. It's leading you inside the ground floor of the building, which appears to be accessible through gaps between the pillars. Myriad petals are scattered along the path, including those of the purple water hyacinth. synth. They've likely been carried and set down by the breeze which continues to nudge and tickle them still. There's something else too, alongside the petals the red-brown ovals of fallen fruit. Ripened dates have dropped down

Starting point is 00:28:11 like confetti onto the stone and the surrounding grass. As you pass a date palm to the right of the path, the tree is shaken by a gust of wind. Three or four dates land beside it on the grass. You bend down and collect them. The fresh dates look plump and juicy. They're a little like grapes, but larger and more oval. In color, they range from orange to dark brown. Their skin is crinkled and naturally glossy. You select a date that's a hint of golden caramel. The taste of the date is equally subtle, far less so than one that's been dried. You eat it very slowly and savor the flavors. The juicy ripe fruit is wonderfully refreshing.

Starting point is 00:30:00 As you stand on the path and enjoy the dates, you absorb the sounds of leaves rustling. The crown of the palm tree sweeps and crunches. In a way, it reminds you of the sound of your breath. Looking up at the building, you notice more date palms on the second floor terrace at the front of the veranda. One sways gently beside the statue of a bull, its surface gold-plated and shining like a beacon. The bull is sacred in Mesopotamian culture. It's a symbol of fertility, so it's well situated in a garden.

Starting point is 00:31:08 It's also representative of strength and power and linked to the type of deity known as a Lamassu. You can see the Lamassu now as you step closer towards the building. It's a striking image in bronze and gold, the mosaic contrasting against the ocean-colored background. With the body of a bull and the wings of an eagle, the Lamassu is representative of strength and freedom. Meanwhile, its head is human and kingly, which is thought to symbolize logic and intelligence. The Lamassu often appears in Mesopotamian architecture at the entrances to palaces and internal courtyards. The Lamassu are believed to be protective spirits so their presence on the columns is a welcome sight. The mosaics grow larger the closer you get and the scale of the building is gradually revealed.

Starting point is 00:32:50 Soon the upper tiers are out of your field of view which is framed by those massive blue columns. You feel pleasantly small before this mountainous garden, columns soar high above the palm trees. The size of the garden invites awe and wonder, a kind of quiet reverence. This is especially true inside the building which you enter now, wandering between the columns. Parts of the room are as dim as evening light, covered as they are by the shadow of the large stone ceiling. Torches have been hung on the inside of columns. They form a perimeter of gold around the garden. Flames dance upwards, crackling and popping, flickering from the tops of terracotta cones. Others have been lit on walls around the room that divide the space into smaller sections.

Starting point is 00:34:31 In parts, they've been placed between high, wide archways, a common feature in Mesopotamian design. You pass by an archway and another soon after as you begin to walk across the tiled stone floor. Glimpses of the room are visible when passing, a tub filled with roses, a statue illuminated by torchlight. Butterflies glide in towards the brightest colored petals, and the buzzing of bumblebees is as constant as the river. It is strange and wonderful to be inside a building but surrounded by nature as if you are outside. You walk towards the stairway to the left of the tree where steps are flanked by chunky banisters. The latter have been tiled in glossy cobalt to match the design of surrounding columns. You don't think you've ever seen such a straight neat stairway

Starting point is 00:36:18 or one that rises at such a precise angle. It gives the impression of climbing up forever, though you can see that it stops at the first floor terrace. The uppermost steps are bathed in sunlight where the stairs open out beneath a gap in the ceiling. Your eyes are drawn upwards as you ascend the stairway and walk geometric pattern that runs down the banister. A row of red pyramids are interconnected with other bits of gold in the gaps between them. Torches are reflected on the surface of tiles. Tiny gold pyramids twinkle like stars, sparkling on a background that's the color of night time. nighttime. They cast a sheen of gold beyond the stairway, enhancing your view as you stroll

Starting point is 00:37:53 up higher. You see far across the room to the west side of the building where afternoon sunlight pours inside. A pool of water that you previously hadn't noticed is visible in part through an archway in a wall. It is white and luminous where it reflects the daylight with an array of ripples across its surface. Much of the ground floor is shaded, especially towards the east side of the building. The atmosphere of peace here is all-encompassing. The plants and flowers look to be sleeping. The sight of such things brings feelings of tranquility as you stroll towards the top of this ancient stairway, especially as you step onto the sunlit balcony that surrounds the inner garden. A strip of patio forms a golden walkway beside all kinds of nature on the outer veranda. There are trees, bushes, and patches of lawn. There are flower beds full of colour and potted plants in artful configurations. At the other side of the

Starting point is 00:39:52 walkway is the inner garden. Rows of golden columns hold up another tier. Some are intertwined with vivid green vines draped and dangling from the floor above. This tier of the gardens is as beautiful as the last, perhaps even more so with the addition of the terrace. The views from up high are nothing short of spectacular, especially when seen on such a beautiful afternoon. noon. You can see the river beyond the gardens. It rushes between lush grassy banks. The Euphrates is the colour of a tropical ocean, a beautiful turquoise with hints of peacock blue. Beyond the river, you see far across Babylon. It looks every bit the ancient metropolis. Paved stone pathways are latticed between buildings, all bearing the hallmarks of a Mesopotamian culture. You see statues and mosaics like those in the garden. They are dotted around the entrances of various buildings.

Starting point is 00:41:49 Distant figures stroll past them on the walkways, their movements unhurried, carefree, and easy. The landscape ahead is dominated by a temple with a vertical stairway running right up its center. It leads to an entrance framed by golden pillars. Music spills out from inside the temple, flowing across the city and over the river. The instrument being strum sounds a little like a harp. Notes are gentle and quiet but they resonate and endure. The melody is like something you might hear in a dream. It twists and turns in the gentlest of motions. The sounds are faint above the breeze and the river, but even so they are intoxicating to the ears. You close your eyes for just a moment and enjoy the sounds of this distant music. On the second floor veranda the breeze is a little stronger. It wafts through tickling at your skin. You savor the sensations and the warmth of the sunshine. Again, you take in the scents of the garden. You can smell the flowers, the trees and bushes. You can smell the sweet grapes

Starting point is 00:44:09 from nearby vines. The scents of the city blend with those of the garden. You smell fire, incense, oils and perfumes. Some scents are floral, others smoky and spicy, though all are softened by the afternoon breeze. You take in a breath of sweet fragrant air, your eyes open once again as you release an exhale and feel your shoulders dip an inch or so lower. You set off walking along the outer pathway with the terrace to your left and the pillars to your right. You pass verdant bushes, their their leaves thick and glossy, and a row of pear trees forming their own mini orchard. At the base of one tree you see a. The cushions are red and sumptuous, like velvet. The colors draw the eye beneath the overhanging canopy of trailing vines and branches. Similar arrangements are dotted about the gardens. You noticed a few on the ground floor below. Undoubtedly there will be more on this tier than the ones above to accommodate any wanderers seeking a place to sit down and rest. In fact you can see more red cushions the color of a rich claret. You turn on the path and walk towards them,

Starting point is 00:46:50 heading beneath the shade of the upstairs veranda. You pause for a moment beside a golden pillar where a grapevine hangs down like a necklace of rubies. You pick a plump red grape savoring its aroma before bringing it to your mouth. You You briefly close your eyes as you eat the fruit. It's sweet, juicy and refreshing on the palate. It's when your eyes are shut that you notice the sound. Nearby on the terrace you hear running water. Opening your eyes you stroll between the pillars. The sound grows louder with each step forwards. The source is revealed inside the inner garden. It's the burbling of a waterfall cascading from above. It drops into a pool that stretches out onto the terrace before

Starting point is 00:48:30 falling into the basin that you glimpsed downstairs. The pool is framed with a mosaic of tiles. They are a mix of red contrasting with turquoise. Cushions have been scattered around the poolside. Others are propped up against The inner gardens are dim and sleepy, though a thin sheen of light breaks in from the west. It illuminates the rising mist from where the waterfall hits the basin. It's ethereal, almost magical, white gold in the daylight. Your view of the outside is through the back of the cascade, which falls in a veil between two pillars. The outside world looks as if it's underwater, seen through the blur of liquid. It's your plan eventually to settle on the cushions, but fast you'd like to see a little more of the gardens, so you exit through a gap to the right of the water between more golden foliage. White and blue flowers climb up along the stone. They smell sweet and musky like jasmine. The scent surrounds you as you step onto the terrace and make your way around to another stairway.

Starting point is 00:50:50 You take the steps up to the second floor of the gardens with the front of the waterfall visible to your right. It is white and foaming as it cascades down the building. You see the origins of the falls once you've ascended the stairway. The water appears as if by magic, though ancient engineering must be hidden beneath the water. The second floor tier is smaller than the last, though its sunkest balcony feels vast and expansive. The stone is barely visible amongst an abundance of greenery, plants, flowers, bushes and herbs. You absorb the colours, the textures and details as you traverse the path around the terrace. The leaves of the olive trees are dainty and delicate beside those of the fig tree which are far larger and darker. Fresh ripe figs are shaped like tiny pumpkins,

Starting point is 00:52:33 though they are purple in colour, like an eggplant or aubergine. The fruit of nearby almond trees are not yet ripened. Nuts are encased in shells of deep green. You catch sight of the date palm that you noticed downstairs. It is swaying gently in the breeze beside a gold-plated bull. The statue is visible through the second floor's inner garden by the pillars holding the third and final terrace. You cut across the gardens and pass a large stone fountain surrounded by cushions. The sound of lapping water echoes around the space, following you out as you step back into the sunshine. Ahead you see the bull, its surface glistening. To your left there's the pool where the waterfall emerges. On your right you see the third and final stairway and you take the steps leading up to the top. Your journey is enriched by the scent of eucalyptus. The journey is enriched by the scent of eucalyptus. The minty fragrance is healing and restorative.

Starting point is 00:54:32 It calms your mind as you ascend the staircase. Your breathing deepens and your footsteps grow light, making you feel as if you are floating. However, your legs and shoulders are beginning to feel tired and you're glad to see the cushions at the top of the gardens. They are positioned around the base of a massive tree, some propped up against its gnarled and knotted trunk. Its cloud-shaped canopy provides the only shade on the terrace. The tree wears sunlight like a shawl around its shoulders.

Starting point is 00:55:39 Its bright green leaves glitter gold as a result. Some of the leaves appear nearly transparent where the sunshine has pooled and illuminated their surfaces. As you wander towards the cushions, you see how the roots of the tree have spread outwards, twisting and turning in every direction. The plant bed below is almost entirely hidden, making the tree appear as if it's growing up through the stone. You lay down across the cushions. velvet and beautifully cool in the shade of the canopy. At the top of the gardens the breeze is just lovely. It whistles through the branches and rustles the leaves. The air on your face is wonderfully relaxing as you lie back now and close your eyes.

Starting point is 00:57:30 You can still hear music from the distant temple and the flow of the river beneath the sounds of the breeze. The nearby waterfall seems to cascade in a rhythm. It's the gentlest lullaby alongside the tweeting of birds. There are scents too of the city and garden, the fresh minty herbs and sweet musky flowers. Each inhalation brings more beauty and relaxation. Every exhalation brings you closer to surrender. That's the cushions and you surrender to the of this beautiful garden... and......

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Get Sleepy: Sleep meditation and stories - The Hanging Gardens of Babylon (Seven Wonders #3)

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