Water Features: The Minoan Civilization
Water Features: The Minoan Civilization On the Greek island of Crete, digs have unearthed channels of several varieties. They were used for water supply as well as removal of storm water and wastewater. Virtually all were prepared from terracotta or stone. There were clay pipes, both circular and rectangular as well as canals made from the same material. These consisted of cone-like and U-shaped terracotta piping that were distinctive to the Minoans. Terracotta pipes were employed to distribute water at Knossos Palace, running up to three meters under the flooring. The clay water pipes were also utilized for collecting and storing water. This required the clay pipes to be capable of holding water without losing it. Below ground Water Transportation: This system’s invisible nature may suggest that it was originally developed for some kind of ritual or to circulate water to limited communities. Quality Water Transportation: There is also data which suggests the pipes being utilized to feed water fountains separately from the domestic technique.
Contemporary Garden Decor: Outdoor Fountains and their Roots
Contemporary Garden Decor: Outdoor 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 supply drinking water, as well as for decorative purposes. From the beginning, outdoor fountains were simply meant to serve as functional elements. Cities, towns and villages made use of nearby aqueducts or springs to provide them with potable water as well as water where they could bathe or wash. Used until the nineteenth century, in order for fountains to flow or shoot up into the air, their origin of water such as reservoirs or aqueducts, had to be higher than the water fountain in order to benefit from gravity. Designers thought of fountains as wonderful additions to a living space, however, the fountains also served to supply clean water and honor the designer responsible for building it. The main materials used by the Romans to create their fountains were bronze or stone masks, mostly depicting animals or heroes. During the Middle Ages, Muslim and Moorish garden planners included fountains to create smaller depictions 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 exert his power over nature. The Romans of the 17th and 18th centuries manufactured baroque decorative fountains to glorify 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 norm 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 ornamental. Gravity was replaced by mechanical pumps in order to permit fountains to bring in clean water and allow for beautiful water displays.
Nowadays, fountains decorate public spaces and are used to honor individuals or events and fill recreational and entertainment needs.