Where did Fountains Come From?
Where did Fountains Come From? A water fountain is an architectural piece that pours water into a basin or jets it high into the air in order to provide drinking water, as well as for decorative purposes.
From the onset, outdoor fountains were simply there to serve as functional elements. Inhabitants of cities, townships and small towns used them as a source of drinking water and a place to wash, which meant that fountains had to be connected to nearby aqueduct or spring. Until the late nineteenth, century most water fountains operated 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 supplied clean, fresh drinking water. Animals or heroes made of bronze or stone masks were often times used by Romans to beautify their fountains. During the Middle Ages, Muslim and Moorish garden designers included fountains in their designs to re-create the gardens of paradise. To demonstrate his dominance over nature, French King Louis XIV included fountains in the Garden of Versailles. To mark the entrance 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 arrived in the city of Rome
Indoor plumbing became the key source of water by the end of the 19th century thereby limiting urban fountains to mere decorative elements. Fountains using mechanical pumps instead of gravity enabled fountains to bring recycled water into living spaces as well as create unique water effects.
Modern-day fountains function mostly as decoration for community spaces, to honor individuals or events, and compliment entertainment and recreational events.
Outdoor Fountains Lost to History
Outdoor Fountains Lost to History The water from springs and other sources was initially supplied to the residents of nearby towns and cities through water fountains, whose purpose was mainly practical, not aesthetic. To make water flow through a fountain until the later part of the 1800’s, and generate a jet of water, demanded gravity and a water source such as a spring or lake, situated higher than the fountain. Fountains all through history have been created as memorials, impressing hometown citizens and travelers alike. If you saw the very first fountains, you wouldn't recognize them as fountains. The first recognized water fountain was a rock basin created that was used as a container for drinking water and ceremonial purposes. Natural stone basins are thought to have been 1st made use of around 2000 BC. Early fountains put to use in ancient civilizations depended on gravity to control the flow of water through the fountain. Drinking water was supplied by public fountains, long before fountains became ornate public monuments, as attractive as they are functional. Fountains with ornate decoration began to appear in Rome in about 6 BC, usually gods and wildlife, made with stone or copper-base alloy. The City of Rome had an intricate system of aqueducts that delivered the water for the numerous fountains that were situated throughout the city.