Historic Crete & The Minoans: Water Fountains
Historic Crete & The Minoans: Water Fountains Fountains and Water and the Minoan Civilization
These provided water and eliminated it, including water from waste and storms. They were commonly constructed from clay or stone. Whenever prepared from terracotta, they were generally in the format of canals and round or rectangle-shaped conduits. There are two good examples of Minoan clay pipes, those with a shortened cone form and a U-shape that haven’t been seen in any society since. Terracotta pipes were used to distribute water at Knossos Palace, running up to three meters directly below the flooring. These Minoan water lines were also made use of for amassing and stocking water, not just distribution. These clay pipelines were needed to perform: Underground Water Transportation: This concealed process for water circulation could have been utilized to provide water to certain individuals or activities. Quality Water Transportation: There’s also evidence that suggests the pipelines being used to supply fountains independently of the local process.
The Origins Of Fountains
The Origins Of Fountains A fountain, an amazing 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 central 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 nearby. Until the late 19th, century most water fountains functioned using gravity to allow water to flow or jet into the air, therefore, they needed a source of water such as a reservoir or aqueduct located higher than the fountain. Serving as an element of adornment and celebration, fountains also provided clean, fresh drinking water. The main materials used by the Romans to create their fountains were bronze or stone masks, mostly illustrating animals or heroes. Throughout the Middle Ages, Muslim and Moorish garden planners included fountains to create smaller variations of the gardens of paradise. Fountains played a considerable role in the Gardens of Versailles, all part of French King Louis XIV’s desire to exercise his power over nature. To mark the entryway of the restored Roman aqueducts, the Popes of the 17th and 18th centuries commissioned the building of baroque style fountains in the spot where the aqueducts entered the city of Rome
Indoor plumbing became the main source of water by the end of the 19th century thereby restricting urban fountains to mere decorative elements. Gravity was replaced by mechanical pumps in order to enable fountains to bring in clean water and allow for amazing water displays.
Modern-day fountains function mostly as decoration for public spaces, to honor individuals or events, and enhance entertainment and recreational events.