Historic Crete & The Minoans: Outdoor Fountains

Historic Crete & The Minoans: Outdoor Fountains Historic Crete & Minoans: Outdoor Fountains 30720154449259.jpg

On the Greek island of Crete, digs have unearthed conduits of several varieties. They were used for water supply as well as removal of storm water and wastewater. The chief components utilized were rock or clay. There were terracotta conduits, both round and rectangular as well as pathways made from the same components. These consisted of cone-like and U-shaped terracotta water lines which were exclusive to the Minoans. The water availability at Knossos Palace was managed with a system of terracotta piping which was put under the floor, at depths starting from a few centimeters to several meters. These Minoan pipes were also made use of for amassing and stocking water, not just distribution. These terracotta pipelines were needed to perform: Subterranean Water Transportation: It’s not quite known why the Minoans wanted to transfer water without it being noticed. Quality Water Transportation: Considering the data, several scholars suggest that these conduits were not linked to the common water delivery process, providing the residence with water from a different source.

Bernini's Water Fountains

Bernini's Water Fountains Bernini's Water Fountains 8991238392016423377.jpg

In Rome’s city center, there are many famous water features. One of the most distinguished sculptors and artists of the 17th century, virtually all of them were designed, conceived and constructed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini. His abilities as a fountain designer and also as a city designer, are obvious throughout the streets of Rome. A famous Florentine sculptor, Bernini's father mentored his young son, and they ultimately moved to Rome to thoroughly exhibit their art, mainly in the form of community water fountains and water features. The young Bernini was an exemplary worker and won encouragement and backing of important artists as well as popes. He was initially renowned for his sculpture. An authority in classic Greek engineering, he used this knowledge as a foundation and melded it gracefully with Roman marble, most famously in the Vatican. Though he was influenced by many, Michelangelo had the most serious impact on him, both personally and professionally.

Bernini’s First Italian Water Fountains

Bernini’s First Italian Water Fountains The Barcaccia, Bernini's first water fountain, is a magnificent chef d'oeuvre built at the base of the Trinita dei Monti in Piaza di Spagna. To this day, you will find Roman residents and vacation goers filling this spot to revel in chit chatter and being among other people. The streets surrounding his water fountain have come to be one of the city’s most stylish gathering places, something which would certainly have pleased Bernini himself. In around 1630, Pope Urbano VIII helped Bernini start off his professional life with the construction of his very first fountain. Illustrated in the fountain's design is a large ship gradually sinking into the Mediterranean Sea. The great 16th century flooding of the Tevere, which left the entire region inundated with water, was memorialized by the fountain according to writings from the time. In 1665, France was graced by Bernini's only prolonged trip outside of Italy.

Rome’s First Water Delivery Solutions

Rome’s First Water Delivery Solutions Aqua Anio Vetus, the first raised aqueduct assembled in Rome, started out providing the men and women living in the hills with water in 273 BC, although they had counted on natural springs up till then. If residents living at higher elevations did not have accessibility to springs or the aqueduct, they’d have to rely on the remaining existing systems of the day, cisterns that collected rainwater from the sky and subterranean wells that received the water from under ground. In the early 16th century, the city began to use the water that ran underground through Acqua Vergine to supply drinking water to Pincian Hill. During the length of the aqueduct’s channel were pozzi, or manholes, that gave entry. Rome’s First Water Delivery Solutions 87351479622540.jpg

While these manholes were provided to make it easier to protect the aqueduct, it was also feasible to use containers to extract water from the channel, which was exercised by Cardinal Marcello Crescenzi from the time he purchased the property in 1543 to his passing in 1552. He didn’t get enough water from the cistern that he had constructed on his property to collect rainwater. Fortunately, the aqueduct sat under his residence, and he had a shaft opened to give him accessibility.