Where did Fountains Originate from?
Where did Fountains Originate from?
A fountain, an incredible piece of engineering, not only supplies drinking water as it pours into a basin, it can also propel water high into the air for an extraordinary effect. The primary purpose of a fountain was originally strictly functional. Cities, towns and villages made use of nearby aqueducts or springs to supply them with drinking water as well as water where they could bathe or wash. Until the late 19th, century most water fountains functioned using the force of gravity to allow water to flow or jet into the air, therefore, they needed a supply of water such as a reservoir or aqueduct located higher than the fountain. Fountains were an optimal source of water, and also served to adorn living areas and celebrate the designer. Roman fountains often depicted imagery of animals or heroes made of metal or stone masks. During the Middle Ages, Muslim and Moorish garden planners incorporated fountains to create mini depictions of the gardens of paradise. Fountains enjoyed a significant role in the Gardens of Versailles, all part of French King Louis XIV’s desire to exercise his power over nature. To mark the entrance of the restored Roman aqueducts, the Popes of the 17th and 18th centuries commissioned the construction of baroque style fountains in the spot where the aqueducts arrived in the city of Rome
Urban fountains created at the end of the 19th century served only as decorative and celebratory ornaments since indoor plumbing provided the essential drinking water. The introduction of unique water effects and the recycling of water were 2 things made possible by swapping gravity with mechanical pumps.
Contemporary fountains are used to embellish community spaces, honor individuals or events, and enhance recreational and entertainment events.
Rome’s Early Water Delivery Systems
Rome’s Early Water Delivery Systems Aqua Anio Vetus, the first raised aqueduct founded in Rome, began delivering the many people living in the hills with water in 273 BC, even though they had relied on natural springs up until then. Outside of these aqueducts and springs, wells and rainwater-collecting cisterns were the sole techniques readily available at the time to supply water to spots of higher elevation. In the very early 16th century, the city began to use the water that flowed below the ground through Acqua Vergine to furnish drinking water to Pincian Hill. The aqueduct’s channel was made reachable by pozzi, or manholes, that were added along its length when it was first designed. During the some nine years he had the residential property, from 1543 to 1552, Cardinal Marcello Crescenzi utilized these manholes to take water from the channel in buckets, though they were originally built for the purpose of maintaining and servicing the aqueduct. Whilst the cardinal also had a cistern to accumulate rainwater, it couldn't produce sufficient water. Thankfully, the aqueduct sat directly below his residence, and he had a shaft established to give him access.
A Chronicle of Garden Water Fountains
A Chronicle of Garden Water Fountains
Pope Nicholas V, himself a well educated man, ruled the Roman Catholic Church from 1397 to 1455 during which time he commissioned many translations of old classic Greek documents into Latin. In order to make Rome deserving of being the capital of the Christian world, the Pope resolved to embellish the beauty of the city. At the behest of the Pope, the Aqua Vergine, a damaged aqueduct which had carried clean drinking water into Rome from eight miles away, was restored starting in 1453. A mostra, a monumental dedicatory fountain constructed by ancient Romans to mark the point of entry of an aqueduct, was a practice which was revived by Nicholas V. The Trevi Fountain now occupies the space formerly filled with a wall fountain crafted by Leon Battista Albert, an architect commissioned by the Pope. Changes and extensions, included in the repaired aqueduct, eventually supplied the Trevi Fountain and the well-known baroque fountains in the Piazza del Popolo and Piazza Navona with the necessary water supply.
The Minoan Civilization: Fountains
The Minoan Civilization: Fountains Various types of conduits have been found through archaeological excavations on the island of Crete, the birthplace of Minoan civilization. These were utilized to supply cities with water as well as to lessen flooding and eliminate waste material. They were for the most part constructed from clay or stone. When clay was chosen, it was normally for waterways as well as water pipes which came in rectangle-shaped or spherical shapes. These incorporated cone-like and U-shaped clay conduits that were exclusive to the Minoans. The water availability at Knossos Palace was maintained with a system of terracotta pipes that was positioned below the floor, at depths ranging from a few centimeters to a number of meters. The terracotta water pipes were additionally used for accumulating and holding water. These clay piping were required to perform: Underground Water Transportation: This undetectable process for water movement could possibly have been employed to give water to specific men and women or occasions. Quality Water Transportation: The conduits may also have been used to move water to water fountains that were split from the city’s standard process.