The First Outdoor Water Features
The First Outdoor Water Features As originally developed, fountains were designed to be functional, directing water from streams or aqueducts to the citizens of towns and villages, where the water could be used for cooking, cleaning, and drinking. A source of water higher in elevation than the fountain was necessary to pressurize the flow and send water spraying from the fountain's spout, a technology without equal until the late 19th century. Inspiring and impressive, large water fountains have been constructed as monuments in many civilizations. If you saw the very first fountains, you would not recognize them as fountains. The 1st accepted water fountain was a natural stone basin carved that was used as a receptacle for drinking water and ceremonial purposes.
2,000 B.C. is when the earliest known stone fountain basins were actually used. The first fountains used in ancient civilizations relied on gravity to control the flow of water through the fountain. The location of the fountains was influenced by the water source, which is why you’ll commonly find them along aqueducts, canals, or streams. Fountains with elaborate decoration started to appear in Rome in approximately 6 BC, usually gods and animals, made with natural stone or bronze. The people of Rome had an intricate system of aqueducts that furnished the water for the countless fountains that were placed throughout the city.
Where did Garden Water Fountains Come From?
Where did Garden Water Fountains Come From? A fountain, an incredible piece of engineering, not only supplies drinking water as it pours into a basin, it can also launch water high into the air for a noteworthy effect.
The primary purpose of a fountain was originally strictly practical. Inhabitants of cities, townships and small towns utilized them as a source of drinking water and a place to wash, which meant that fountains needed to be linked to nearby aqueduct or spring. Used until the nineteenth century, in order for fountains to flow or shoot up into the air, their source 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 amazing additions to a living space, however, the fountains also served to supply clean water and celebrate the artist responsible for building it. Animals or heroes made of bronze or stone masks were often times used by Romans to decorate their fountains. To illustrate the gardens of paradise, Muslim and Moorish garden planners of the Middle Ages introduced fountains to their designs. To show his dominance over nature, French King Louis XIV included fountains in the Garden of Versailles. The Popes of the 17th and 18th centuries were extolled with baroque style fountains constructed to mark the arrival points of Roman aqueducts.
Since indoor plumbing became the standard of the day for fresh, drinking water, by the end of the 19th century urban fountains were no longer needed for this purpose and they became purely decorative. The introduction of unique water effects and the recycling of water were two things made possible by replacing gravity with mechanical pumps.
Nowadays, fountains decorate public areas and are used to recognize individuals or events and fill recreational and entertainment needs.