Modern Garden Decor: Large Outdoor Water Fountains and their Roots
Modern Garden Decor: Large Outdoor Water Fountains and their Roots A water fountain is an architectural piece that pours water into a basin or jets it high into the air in order to provide drinking water, as well as for decorative purposes.The main purpose of a fountain was originally strictly practical. People in cities, towns and villages received their drinking water, as well as water to bathe and wash, from aqueducts or springs in the vicinity. Until the late nineteenth, 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 excellent source of water, and also served to adorn living areas and celebrate the artist. The main materials used by the Romans to create their fountains were bronze or stone masks, mostly depicting animals or heroes. To depict the gardens of paradise, Muslim and Moorish garden planners of the Middle Ages introduced fountains to their designs. Fountains played a significant role in the Gardens of Versailles, all part of French King Louis XIV’s desire to exercise his power over nature. The Romans of the 17th and 18th centuries created baroque decorative fountains to exalt the Popes who commissioned them as well as to mark the spot where the restored Roman aqueducts entered the city.
Since indoor plumbing became the standard of the day for fresh, drinking water, by the end of the 19th century urban fountains were no longer needed for this purpose and they became purely ornamental. Gravity was replaced by mechanical pumps in order to permit fountains to bring in clean water and allow for amazing water displays.
Modern fountains are used to embellish public spaces, honor individuals or events, and enhance recreational and entertainment events.
Water Delivery Strategies in Historic Rome
Water Delivery Strategies in Historic Rome Aqua Anio Vetus, the first raised aqueduct built in Rome, started providing the individuals living in the hills with water in 273 BC, although they had depended on natural springs up till then. If citizens living at higher elevations did not have accessibility to springs or the aqueduct, they’d have to be dependent on the remaining existing technologies of the time, cisterns that collected rainwater from the sky and subterranean wells that drew the water from under ground.
Anglo Saxon Grounds During the Norman Conquest
