A Short History of the First Fountains
A Short History of the First Fountains Water fountains were initially practical in function, used to convey water from rivers or creeks to towns and hamlets, providing the inhabitants with clean water to drink, wash, and prepare food with. A supply of water higher in elevation than the fountain was needed to pressurize the movement and send water squirting from the fountain's nozzle, a technology without equal until the late 19th century.
The elegance and wonder of fountains make them appropriate for historic monuments. When you enjoy a fountain today, that is not what the first water fountains looked like. The 1st recognized water fountain was a rock basin carved that was used as a container for drinking water and ceremonial purposes. Stone basins are believed to have been first utilized around 2000 BC. The earliest civilizations that utilized fountains relied on gravity to push water through spigots. Drinking water was provided by public fountains, long before fountains became ornate public monuments, as striking as they are functional. Fountains with elaborate decoration began to show up in Rome in approximately 6 BC, commonly gods and wildlife, made with natural stone or bronze. The people of Rome had an elaborate system of aqueducts that provided the water for the numerous fountains that were placed throughout the community.
Modern Garden Decor: Large Outdoor Water Fountains and their Beginnings
Modern Garden Decor: Large Outdoor Water Fountains and their Beginnings The incredible architecture of a fountain allows it to provide clean water or shoot water high into air for dramatic effect and it can also serve as an excellent design feature to complete your home.Originally, fountains only served a functional purpose.
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 until the nineteenth, fountains had to be more elevated and closer to a water source, such as aqueducts and reservoirs, in order to take advantage of gravity which fed the fountains. Artists thought of fountains as wonderful additions to a living space, however, the fountains also served to supply clean water and celebrate the artist responsible for creating it. The main components used by the Romans to create their fountains were bronze or stone masks, mostly illustrating animals or heroes. To illustrate the gardens of paradise, Muslim and Moorish garden planners of the Middle Ages added fountains to their designs. King Louis XIV of France wanted to demonstrate his superiority over nature by including fountains in the Gardens of Versailles. The Romans of the 17th and 18th centuries created baroque decorative fountains to exalt the Popes who commissioned them as well as to mark the spot where the restored Roman aqueducts entered the city.
The end of the nineteenth century saw the increase in usage of indoor plumbing to supply drinking water, so urban fountains were relegated to purely decorative elements. The creation of unique water effects and the recycling of water were 2 things made possible by swapping gravity with mechanical pumps.
Nowadays, fountains decorate public spaces and are used to pay tribute to individuals or events and fill recreational and entertainment needs.