The Genesis Of Fountains
The Genesis 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 a noteworthy effect.
Pure functionality was the original purpose of fountains. People in cities, towns and villages received their drinking water, as well as water to bathe and wash, via aqueducts or springs in the vicinity. Up to the late nineteenth century, water fountains had to be near an aqueduct or reservoir and higher than the fountain so that gravity could make the water move downwards or shoot high into the air. Fountains were an excellent source of water, and also served to adorn living areas and memorialize the designer. Bronze or stone masks of wildlife and heroes were frequently seen on Roman fountains. To replicate the gardens of paradise, Muslim and Moorish garden planners of the Middle Ages introduced fountains to their designs. King Louis XIV of France wanted to demonstrate his dominion over nature by including fountains in the Gardens of Versailles. The Popes of the 17th and 18th centuries were glorified with baroque style fountains built to mark the arrival points of Roman aqueducts.
Indoor plumbing became the key source of water by the end of the 19th century thereby restricting urban fountains to mere decorative elements. Fountains using mechanical pumps instead of gravity helped fountains to deliver recycled water into living spaces as well as create unique water effects.
Embellishing city parks, honoring people or events and entertaining, are some of the purposes of modern-day fountains.
Acqua Vergine: The Solution to Rome's Water Troubles
Acqua Vergine: The Solution to Rome's Water Troubles Rome’s 1st raised aqueduct, Aqua Anio Vetus, was built in 273 BC; before that, citizens living at higher elevations had to depend on local streams for their water. Throughout this period, there were only 2 other systems capable of providing water to elevated areas, subterranean wells and cisterns, which accumulated rainwater. In the early sixteenth century, the city began to utilize the water that flowed underground through Acqua Vergine to deliver drinking water to Pincian Hill.
The aqueduct’s channel was made reachable by pozzi, or manholes, that were situated along its length when it was initially constructed. Although they were initially planned to make it possible to support the aqueduct, Cardinal Marcello Crescenzi began using the manholes to gather water from the channel, commencing when he purchased the property in 1543. The cistern he had built to gather rainwater wasn’t sufficient to meet his water demands. Fortunately, the aqueduct sat below his property, and he had a shaft established to give him accessibility.