Hanging+Gardens+of+Babylon+Reader's+Theater



**The Hanging Gardens of Babylon- Reader’s Theater**

Background: The year is 580 B.C. The place: Babylon, an ancient city in what is now Iraq. The ruler, Nebuchadnezzar II, is currently the most powerful king in the region. To strengthen his power, he has married Amytis, a princess from a land called Media, which was located in present-day Iran.

Cast of Characters: Amytis (uh- MIH-tuhs) queen and wife of Nebuchadnezzar II Nebuchadnezzar II: King of the Chaldeans Merodach (mih-roh-DAK) the royal architect Sammu: slave to the royal family Essam: the royal engineer Narrator

Amytis: Sammu, did you bring my palm oil? My face is as dry as the desert wind in this dreadful land! Sammu: Right here, my queen Narrator: Amytis has been very unhappy since King Nebuchadnezzar brought her from Media. She is a Median princess, and the king married her to help keep peace between the two lands. But Amytis is so miserable. If she insists on returning to Media, her father will not be pleased. Look, here come the king and the queen. Amytis: You said that I would live in a paradise as your wife. But I think I left paradise when I left Media. Nebuchadnezzar: But my queen, Babylon is one of the largest and most beautiful cities in the world. Look at the great city walls, the Tower of Babel, the paved boulevards. Amytis: In the Median mountains where I lived, the breezes were comfortable. The trees provided cool shade and sweet fruit. It’s so hot and dusty here. It’s nothing like my beautiful Media! Narrator: Nebuc knew that he must please Amytis to keep peace with her father in Media. He hurries to speak with her. Nebuchadnezzar: My sweet, what if I give you what you wish for? Cool gardens, verdant landscapes, flowers and clear flowing water right here in Babylon. Would you then stay? Amytis: Of course. But how can you do that? Nebuchadnezzar: (//boasting//) I am the most powerful king the world has known. I will find a way. Sammu, fetch my royal architect and engineer. Sammu: Yes, my king. Nebuchadnezzar: Merodach, I charge you to create a spectacular mountain garden, right here on the palace grounds. It must have trees and flowers and clear running water. Essam, you will take these blueprints and figure out how to make this work. Do you both understand? Merodach and Essam: Yes, my king. It will be done. Narrator: Months later, the king, the royal architect, and the royal engineer go over the architect’s plans. Merodach: We can build a gigantic tower with terraces that will be filled with soil. We will import trees that grow in our queen’s Median homeland: date palms, cypress, fig, and pomegranate. Perfumed flowers too. And we can clear spaces for shaded canopies to protect our fair queen from the midday sun. Of course, we will need something to keep evil spirits away from her precious soul. I propose guarding the stairway with giant statues of winged lions that have copies of your majesty’s head. The gods themselves could not offer better protection. Nebuchadnezzar: Her own green mountain, in the midst of the desert! Amytis would love that. Remember just one thing: it rarely rains here. We can irrigate our flat farmlands from the rivers, but how will we move water uphill to keep an entire forest alive? Essam: //(smiling)// I’ve designed what I call a chain pump. My system uses a large wheel at the bottom of the “mountain”, and one at the top. They are connected by a chain, from which hang many buckets for water. As slaves turn the bottom wheel, the chain dips buckets into an irrigation pool and carries them upward. At the top, the buckets dump into an upper pool with channels to carry water to every plan in the monument. Nebuchadnezzar: Well done, both of you! Let’s get started immediately. Merodach: Your worship, these hanging gardens will probably be the most expensive building project ever. And the chain pump will need to be operated by shifts of men all day and night. It will require much gold and many slaves. Nebuchadnezzar: Not a problem. Since I captured Jerusalem, we have a fresh supply of both gold and slaves. Narrator: Nebuch built his Hanging Gardens of Babylon, and they were called one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Nebuch presented the gardens to Amytis. Nebuchadnezzar: Amytis, my sweet, here are your new gardens. Now, perhaps, you will not want to go home to Media. Amytis: Oh, my king! They are the most wonderful gardens ever! Narrator: Amytis loves her human-made mountain, and spends almost all of her time there. This has made life considerably easier for the king. Nebuch and Amytis enjoy relaxing in the gardens. Amytis: Sammu, we would like more dates and pomegranates in this basket. Go pick us some, then come back and fan me. Sammu: Yes, my queen. Right away. Amytis: My king, I think we should invite the Egyptian pharaoh for a royal visit. I want all the world to see admire the beautiful gardens you built for me. They will be a vision of beauty for all eternity! Narrator: Amytis was partially correct. There was nothing like the Hanging Gardens of Babylon anywhere during that era of history. But somewhere along the line they were destroyed, along with the Chaldean civilization. The only way you can see them now, my friends, is with your imagination…