A Brief History of the Early Outdoor Water Fountains

A Brief History of the Early Outdoor Water Fountains Towns and communities depended on functional water fountains to funnel water for cooking, washing, and cleaning up from nearby sources like ponds, channels, or creeks. In the years before electricity, the spray of fountains was powered by gravity alone, often using an aqueduct or water resource located far away in the surrounding mountains. Fountains throughout history have been designed as memorials, impressing hometown citizens and tourists alike. Brief History Early Outdoor Water Fountains 60273711.jpg

Brief History Early Outdoor Water Fountains 60273711.jpg

If you saw the first fountains, you would not recognize them as fountains. Created for drinking water and ceremonial purposes, the initial fountains were simple carved stone basins. 2,000 B.C. is when the earliest identified stone fountain basins were originally used. The spraying of water emerging from small jets was forced by gravity, the only power source creators had in those days. Located near aqueducts or creeks, the practical public water fountains furnished the local citizens with fresh drinking water. Fountains with ornate decoration began to show up in Rome in about 6 BC, commonly gods and animals, made with stone or bronze. A well-engineered system of reservoirs and aqueducts kept Rome's public water fountains supplied with fresh water.

Outdoor Water fountains: The Perfect Decor Accessory to Find Serenity

Outdoor Water fountains: The Perfect Decor Accessory to Find Serenity Water gives tranquility to your garden environment. The sounds of a fountain are perfect to drown out the noise in your neighborhood or in the city where you live. Consider this the spot where can you go to recreate yourself and become one with nature. Bodies of water such as seas, oceans and rivers are commonly used in water therapies, as they are considered therapeutic. So if you desire a tiny piece of heaven nearby, a pond or fountain in your own garden is the answer.

Acqua Vergine: The Answer to Rome's Water Problems

Acqua Vergine: The Answer to Rome's Water Problems With the development of the 1st raised aqueduct in Rome, the Aqua Anio Vetus in 273 BC, folks who lived on the city’s hillsides no longer had to depend only on naturally-occurring spring water for their demands. If inhabitants residing at higher elevations did not have access to springs or the aqueduct, they’d have to depend on the remaining existing technologies of the day, cisterns that collected rainwater from the sky and subterranean wells that received the water from under ground. From the beginning of the sixteenth century, water was routed to Pincian Hill via the underground channel of Acqua Vergine. Through its original building and construction, pozzi (or manholes) were added at set intervals along the aqueduct’s channel. During the some nine years he had the residence, from 1543 to 1552, Cardinal Marcello Crescenzi made use of these manholes to take water from the channel in containers, though they were actually built for the objective of maintaining and maintenance the aqueduct. The cistern he had made to gather rainwater wasn’t satisfactory to meet his water specifications. To provide himself with a more streamlined system to gather water, he had one of the manholes opened, offering him access to the aqueduct below his property.

The Beautiful Early Wonders by Bernini

The Beautiful Early Wonders by Bernini The Barcaccia, Bernini's first water fountain, is a striking chef d'oeuvre built at the bottom of the Trinita dei Monti in Piaza di Spagna. This spot is still filled with Roman locals and visitors who enjoy exchanging gossip or going over the day's news. The streets surrounding his water fountain have come to be one of the city’s most fashionable meeting places, something which would certainly have pleased Bernini himself. Beautiful Early Wonders Bernini 4389592954.jpg

Beautiful Early Wonders Bernini 4389592954.jpg

In around 1630, Pope Urbano VIII helped Bernini launch his professional life with the construction of his first water fountain. Illustrated in the fountain's design is a great vessel slowly sinking into the Mediterranean Sea. According to 16th century reports, a great flood of the Tevere covered the entire area in water, an event which was memorialized by the magnificent fountain. In 1665, France was graced by Bernini's only lengthy journey outside of Italy.