Hanging Gardens Colouring

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon are the most mysterious of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Ancient Greek and Roman writers described a remarkable garden built in rising terraces, filled with trees, flowers and vines even though it stood in a dry region. Babylon was an important city beside the Euphrates River in Mesopotamia, in present-day Iraq. A popular tradition says King Nebuchadnezzar II created the gardens for his wife, but historians have not found firm proof for that story. No confirmed remains of the gardens have been identified at Babylon, and no known contemporary Babylonian record clearly describes them. Some researchers think the famous garden may have been at the Assyrian city of Nineveh, while others believe it was an idealised tale. That uncertainty makes this wonder a fascinating mixture of history, archaeology and imagination. Ancient descriptions picture stone or brick terraces strong enough to hold deep soil and large plants. Water may have been lifted from a river by an ingenious system of wheels, chains or screws, then guided through channels to every level. If such a garden existed, keeping it green would have required skilled engineers and gardeners working together. This page offers a cheerful imagined view rather than claiming to show the exact lost building. Colour the wide steps with sandy tan, warm brown or terracotta. Make the stream clear blue or turquoise, leaving small white spaces for sparkling water. Use several greens for the plants: pale lime on new leaves, medium green on broad leaves and deep forest green inside the hanging vines. Flowers can be red, pink, orange, violet and yellow. Give the two butterflies different bright wing patterns and colour the little bird blue, golden or russet. A light blue sky and a warm yellow sun will keep the scene open and welcoming. Follow the curves of the vines with smooth pencil strokes, then use short strokes on clusters of leaves. You can shade beneath each terrace slightly darker to show height, but keep the large spaces light and easy to colour. When finished, your page can look like a cool, green oasis rising above an ancient city.

◫ A4 size✎ Bold outlines♡ Ages 3–8

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Grown-up note: Please supervise printing and choose age-appropriate art materials.