The Very First Outdoor Water Fountains of the Historical Past

The Very First Outdoor Water Fountains of the Historical Past As initially developed, fountains were crafted to be practical, directing water from streams or reservoirs to the inhabitants of towns and villages, where the water could be utilized for cooking, cleaning, and drinking. To make water flow through a fountain until the late 1800’s, and create a jet of water, required the force of gravity and a water source such as a spring or lake, situated higher than the fountain. Fountains all through history have been created as monuments, impressing local citizens and visitors alike. Crude in style, the 1st water fountains did not appear much like modern-day fountains. A natural stone basin, carved from rock, was the very first fountain, utilized for holding water for drinking and religious purposes. 2000 BC is when the oldest known stone fountain basins were used. The force of gravity was the power source that controlled the initial water fountains. Located near reservoirs or creeks, the practical public water fountains furnished the local population with fresh drinking water. Fountains with elaborate decoration started to show up in Rome in approx. 6 BC, usually gods and creatures, made with natural stone or copper-base alloy. A well-engineered system of reservoirs and aqueducts kept Rome's public water fountains supplied with fresh water.

The Origins of Contemporary Outdoor Wall Fountains

The Origins of Contemporary Outdoor Wall Fountains Origins Contemporary Outdoor Wall Fountains 86103284205376.jpg

The translation of hundreds of classic Greek documents into Latin was commissioned by the scholarly Pope Nicholas V who led the Church in Rome from 1397 till 1455. He undertook the beautification of Rome to turn it into the worthy seat of the Christian world. Beginning in 1453, the ruined ancient Roman aqueduct known as the Aqua Vergine which had brought clean drinking water into the city from eight miles away, underwent reconstruction at the behest of the Pope. Building a mostra, a grandiose commemorative fountain built by ancient Romans to memorialize the entry point of an aqueduct, was a tradition revived by Nicholas V. The architect Leon Battista Alberti was directed by the Pope to put up a wall fountain where we now see the Trevi Fountain. The water which eventually furnished the Trevi Fountain as well as the famed baroque fountains in the Piazza del Popolo and Piazza Navona came from the modified aqueduct which he had renovated.

Statuary As a Staple of Classic Art in Archaic Greece

Statuary As a Staple of Classic Art in Archaic Greece The initial freestanding statuary was improved by the Archaic Greeks, a notable achievement since until then the only carvings in existence were reliefs cut into walls and pillars. Youthful, appealing male or female (kore) Greeks were the subject matter of most of the statues, or kouros figures. The kouroi were considered by the Greeks to typify beauty and were sculpted with one foot leading and an uncompromising stiffness to their forward-facing poses; the male statues were always strapping, brawny, and undressing. In about 650 BC, the varieties of the kouroi became life-sized. A substantial age of transformation for the Greeks, the Archaic period helped bring about new forms of state, expressions of art, and a greater appreciation of people and cultures outside of Greece. Similar to many other times of historical conflict, disagreements were commonplace, and there were battles between city-states like The Arcadian wars, the Spartan invasion of Samos.