Where did Fountains Originate from?
Where did Fountains Originate from? A water fountain is an architectural piece that pours water into a basin or jets it high into the air in order to supply drinking water, as well as for decorative purposes.From the beginning, outdoor fountains were simply meant to serve as functional elements.
Water fountains were linked to a spring or aqueduct to supply potable water as well as bathing water for cities, townships and villages. Up until the nineteenth, fountains had to be higher and closer to a water supply, including aqueducts and reservoirs, in order to take advantage of gravity which fed the fountains. Fountains were not only utilized as a water source for drinking water, but also to adorn homes and celebrate the designer who created it. Bronze or stone masks of wildlife and heroes were frequently seen on Roman fountains. During the Middle Ages, Muslim and Moorish garden designers included fountains in their designs to mimic the gardens of paradise. To demonstrate his prominence over nature, French King Louis XIV included fountains in the Garden of Versailles. Seventeen and 18 century Popes sought to exalt their positions by adding beautiful baroque-style fountains at the point where restored Roman aqueducts arrived into the city.
Since indoor plumbing became the standard of the day for clean, drinking water, by the end of the 19th century urban fountains were no longer needed for this purpose and they became purely decorative. Impressive water effects and recycled water were made possible by replacing the force of gravity with mechanical pumps.
Modern fountains are used to embellish public spaces, honor individuals or events, and enrich recreational and entertainment events.
Outdoor Fountains And Their Use In Ancient Minoa
Outdoor Fountains And Their Use In Ancient Minoa
During archaeological excavations on the island of Crete, various kinds of channels have been uncovered. In combination with providing water, they dispersed water which amassed from storms or waste. They were commonly constructed from clay or rock. When prepared from clay, they were typically in the form of canals and spherical or rectangular pipes. There are two examples of Minoan terracotta piping, those with a shortened cone shape and a U-shape which haven’t been caught in any culture since. The water availability at Knossos Palace was maintained with a system of clay piping that was located below the floor, at depths starting from a few centimeters to many meters. The piping also had other uses such as collecting water and conveying it to a primary location for storing. Therefore, these piping had to be able to: Underground Water Transportation: At first this particular system seems to have been fashioned not for ease but to supply water for chosen individuals or rites without it being seen. Quality Water Transportation: There’s also evidence that indicates the pipelines being made use of to provide for water features separately of the domestic system.
Back Story of Outdoor Garden Fountains
Back Story of Outdoor Garden Fountains Pope Nicholas V, himself a well educated man, reigned the Roman Catholic Church from 1397 to 1455 during which time he commissioned many translations of ancient classic Greek texts into Latin. He undertook the beautification of Rome to turn it into the model capital of the Christian world. In 1453 the Pope instigated the reconstruction of the Aqua Vergine, an historic Roman aqueduct which had carried clean drinking water into the city from eight miles away. The ancient Roman tradition of marking the arrival point of an aqueduct with an magnificent celebratory fountain, also known as a mostra, was restored by Nicholas V. At the behest of the Pope, architect Leon Battista Alberti undertook the construction of a wall fountain in the place where we now find the Trevi Fountain. The water which eventually supplied the Trevi Fountain as well as the acclaimed baroque fountains in the Piazza del Popolo and Piazza Navona came from the modified aqueduct which he had renovated.