| The word "hydroponics" is derived from
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| | called the "Floating Gardens." Around the
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| two Greek words: cidra, meaning water,
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| | same time on the other side of the world,
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| and punikos, meaning labor; thus,
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| | the Mexica - one of the native peoples
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| literally "waterworks." Contrary to
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| | who later formed the Aztec Empire of
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| popular belief, hydroponic gardening is
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| | Mexico - built a city called Tenochtitlan
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| an ancient form of agriculture, going
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| | on the shores of Lake Texcoco. Early
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| back 3,000 years. There are references to
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| | hydroponic grow systems existed where
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| the cultivation of plants directly in
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| | Mexico City stands today, the Mexica
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| water in Egyptian records dating back to
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| | constructed an extensive urban center
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| the time of the New Kingdom and the
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| | that included a type of early hydroponic
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| "Woman-King," Pharoah Hatshepsut around
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| | gardening systems upon which plants were
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| 1460 BCE.
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| | cultivated on the surface of the water.
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| The best-known hydroponic gardens of the
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| | These early Mexican "floating gardens"
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| ancient world were the Hanging Gardens of
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| | were developed out of necessity, because
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| Babylon. Also known as the Gardens of
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| | arable land was at a premium in the area.
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| Semiramis, the Hanging Gardens are
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| | Called chinampas, they were actually
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| reputed to have been located near
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| | small, artificial islands that were
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| Al-Hillah in present-day Iraq, and were
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| | created by scooping up mud from the
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| regarded as one of the Seven Wonders of
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| | marshy areas bordering the lakes. This
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| the Ancient World.
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| | mud was ultimately held together by tree
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| The Hanging Gardens were built by King
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| | roots; food plants were cultivated on
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| Nebuchadnezzar around 600 BCE. His wife,
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| | these "islands," and were amazingly
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| Amytis, was from Media, whose people were
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| | productive.
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| the ancestors of the modern Kurds. The
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| | The modern history of hydroponics
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| country of Medea was a mountainous one,
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| | actually begins in 1627, when Sir Francis
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| roughly corresponding to present-day
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| | Bacon's Sylva Sylvarum was published
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| Kurdistan, northern Iran and Azerbaijan.
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| | posthumously. In this treatise, Bacon -
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| Legend says Amytis became homesick for
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| | an English philosopher and contemporary
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| the mountains and the flora of her
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| | of Shakespeare - wrote about the
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| homeland; Nebuchadnezzar had the Gardens
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| | cultivation of terrestrial plants without
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| constructed for her. According to Greek
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| | soil. Although Bacon died before his
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| historians of the time, the Hanging
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| | theories could be explored, the idea of
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| Gardens, a water pipe led into a well
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| | water culture caught on as an area of
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| tower, which supplied water via a number
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| | scientific study throughout the remainder
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| of vaults for fruit trees growing in a
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| | of the 17th Century. By the 1860s, German
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| layer of asphalt.
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| | botanists Julius von Sachs and Wilhelm
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| Centuries later, Italian traveler Marco
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| | Knop had perfected the first nutrient
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| Polo, who reportedly visited China during
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| | solutions for soilless agriculture, and
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| the late 13th Century CE and introduced
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| | modern hydroponic gardening was born.
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| pasta to Italy, commented on what he
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