The Earliest Outdoor Fountains

The Earliest Outdoor Fountains Water fountains were initially practical in function, used to deliver water from rivers or springs to towns and villages, providing the residents with clean water to drink, wash, and prepare food with. To generate water flow through a fountain until the late 1800’s, and create a jet of water, demanded gravity and a water source such as a creek or lake, positioned higher than the fountain. The elegance and wonder of fountains make them ideal for historic memorials. If you saw the 1st fountains, you wouldn't identify them as fountains. A natural stone basin, crafted from rock, was the 1st fountain, utilized for holding water for drinking and ceremonial functions. Natural stone basins as fountains have been found from 2,000 B.C.. Early fountains put to use in ancient civilizations relied on gravity to control the flow of water through the fountain. These original fountains were built to be functional, frequently situated along reservoirs, creeks and rivers to furnish drinking water. Fountains with ornamental Gods, mythological beasts, and animals began to show up in Rome in about 6 BC, made from natural stone and bronze. The Romans had an elaborate system of aqueducts that delivered the water for the numerous fountains that were placed throughout the urban center.

Water Delivery Solutions in Historic Rome

Water Delivery Solutions in Historic Rome With the development of the very first raised aqueduct in Rome, the Aqua Anio Vetus in 273 BC, folks who lived on the city’s hillsides no longer had to rely strictly on naturally-occurring spring water for their needs. If residents residing at higher elevations did not have access to springs or the aqueduct, they’d have to count on the other existing systems of the time, cisterns that compiled rainwater from the sky and subterranean wells that received the water from under ground. Beginning in the sixteenth century, a brand new system was introduced, using Acqua Vergine’s subterranean portions to generate water to Pincian Hill. The aqueduct’s channel was made attainable by pozzi, or manholes, that were added along its length when it was 1st constructed. Whilst these manholes were created to make it much easier to conserve the aqueduct, it was also possible to use buckets to pull water from the channel, which was practiced by Cardinal Marcello Crescenzi from the time he acquired the property in 1543 to his passing in 1552. It appears that, the rainwater cistern on his property wasn’t enough to satisfy his needs. That is when he made a decision to create an access point to the aqueduct that ran beneath his residence.