Were these notable presents of the past worth the wrapping paper?
Agift is not just for festive seasons and personal landmarks. Over the years gifts have helped to create new bonds between nations, secure marriages, end wars or just strengthen relationships. And in the grand field of power politics, gifts can vary wildly, from small trinkets to entire provinces. Finding the right gift remains the challenge. So, here we review a dozen of the most famous gifts ever given and offer our verdict. Could you find some ideas for your own gift giving this year? Probably not.
Hanging Gardens of Babylon
To: Queen Amytis
From: Nebuchadnezzar II
6th century BCE, Mesopotamia
The legendary Hanging Gardens were one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, built by Nebuchadnezzar II for his wife Amytis. It could be argued that this took buying flowers for your spouse a few stages too far, but it was actually a means to alleviate Amytis’ home sickness. She is thought to have come from Media, around northwestern Iran, which was a lush and green land in comparison to the desert of Babylon. However, Dr Stephanie Dalley of Oxford University has suggested that the gardens were actually not in Babylon at all, but further north in Nineveh, built by King Sennacherib for his wife. Either way, an impressive floral arrangement with its tiered gardens and innovative irrigation system. 10/10
Trojan Horse
To: The Trojans F rom: The Greeks
13-12th century BCE, Troy
As gifts go, this might be the most famous in history and what a stinker it ended up being. Having laid siege to Troy for ten years, the Greeks decide to abandon the campaign and as a mark of respect for their foes, they left them a giant wooden horse, an offering to Athena. What’s more, the Greeks had spared no expense, turning to master craftsman Epeius for the project. While we don’t know exactly what the horse looked like, it was presumably handsome enough to encourage the Trojans to bring it within its impregnable walls. However, it was full of men, which under different circumstances might have been appreciated, but in this instance meant the Greeks could open the gates for Troy to be destroyed.
1/10
Koh-i-Noor Diamond
To: Queen Victoria F rom: British East India Company3 July 1850
This famous diamond changed hands quite a few times before the East India Company took possession of it. Thought to have originated in central India, it was held by the Mughal rulers, then the Afsharid dynasty of Iran who invaded India from 1738, followed by the Durrani dynasty of Afghanistan in 1749 and then the Sikh Empire in 1813. The company became the latest conquering power to possess the gem after the Anglo-Sikh War (1848-49) when it confiscated all of the prope
