Where did Large Outdoor Fountains Come From?
Where did Large Outdoor 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. Originally, fountains only served a functional purpose. Cities, towns and villages made use of nearby aqueducts or springs to provide them with potable water as well as water where they could bathe or wash. 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 the power of gravity. Designers thought of fountains as wonderful additions to a living space, however, the fountains also served to provide clean water and honor the designer responsible for creating it. The main components used by the Romans to create their fountains were bronze or stone masks, mostly depicting animals or heroes. Muslims and Moorish garden designers of the Middle Ages included fountains to re-create smaller versions of the gardens of paradise. King Louis XIV of France wanted to illustrate his dominion over nature by including fountains in the Gardens 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
Urban fountains made at the end of the 19th century functioned only as decorative and celebratory ornaments since indoor plumbing provided the essential drinking water. Impressive water effects and recycled water were made possible by replacing the force of gravity with mechanical pumps.
Modern-day fountains function mostly as decoration for public spaces, to honor individuals or events, and compliment entertainment and recreational events.
Aqueducts: The Remedy to Rome's Water Troubles
Aqueducts: The Remedy to Rome's Water Troubles With the development of the very first raised aqueduct in Rome, the Aqua Anio Vetus in 273 BC, folks who lived on the city’s foothills no longer had to be dependent strictly on naturally-occurring spring water for their demands. Outside of these aqueducts and springs, wells and rainwater-collecting cisterns were the only techniques readily available at the time to supply water to areas of higher elevation. To furnish water to Pincian Hill in the early 16th century, they applied the emerging strategy of redirecting the circulation from the Acqua Vergine aqueduct’s underground network. Pozzi, or manholes, were constructed at regular stretches along the aqueduct’s channel.
The manholes made it less demanding to maintain the channel, but it was also achievable to use buckets to remove water from the aqueduct, as we discovered with Cardinal Marcello Crescenzi when he operated the property from 1543 to 1552, the year he died. Despite the fact that the cardinal also had a cistern to get rainwater, it didn’t provide enough water. To give himself with a more streamlined way to assemble water, he had one of the manholes opened, offering him access to the aqueduct below his residence.