The Outdoor Public Fountains
The Outdoor Public Fountains
Water fountains were at first practical in purpose, used to convey water from canals or creeks to cities and villages, providing the inhabitants with clean water to drink, wash, and prepare food with. A source of water higher in elevation than the fountain was needed to pressurize the flow and send water squirting from the fountain's spout, a technology without equal until the later half of the 19th century. The appeal and spectacle of fountains make them ideal for historical memorials. The common fountains of today bear little similarity to the first water fountains. A stone basin, crafted from rock, was the 1st fountain, used for holding water for drinking and spiritual purposes. Stone basins are believed to have been first made use of around the year 2000 BC. The very first civilizations that made use of fountains relied on gravity to drive water through spigots. These historic water fountains were created to be functional, commonly situated along aqueducts, streams and rivers to provide drinking water. Fountains with ornamental Gods, mythological beasts, and animals began to show up in Rome in about 6 B.C., crafted from natural stone and bronze. The City of Rome had an elaborate system of aqueducts that supplied the water for the countless fountains that were located throughout the urban center.
Aqueducts: The Answer to Rome's Water Challenges
Aqueducts: The Answer to Rome's Water Challenges With the construction of the very first elevated aqueduct in Rome, the Aqua Anio Vetus in 273 BC, individuals who lived on the city’s foothills no longer had to be dependent only on naturally-occurring spring water for their demands.
When aqueducts or springs weren’t available, people dwelling at raised elevations turned to water taken from underground or rainwater, which was made possible by wells and cisterns. From the early sixteenth century, water was routed to Pincian Hill by using the subterranean channel of Acqua Vergine. During the length of the aqueduct’s network were pozzi, or manholes, that gave entry. While these manholes were provided to make it less difficult to maintain the aqueduct, it was also feasible to use buckets to remove water from the channel, which was practiced by Cardinal Marcello Crescenzi from the time he acquired the property in 1543 to his death in 1552. The cistern he had built to collect rainwater wasn’t sufficient to meet his water specifications. Fortunately, the aqueduct sat directly below his property, and he had a shaft established to give him accessibility.