A Concise History of Early Outdoor Fountains

A Concise History of Early Outdoor Fountains As initially conceived, water fountains were crafted to be practical, directing water from creeks or aqueducts to the citizens of cities and villages, where the water could be utilized for cooking, washing, and drinking. In the days before electricity, the spray of fountains was driven by gravity alone, commonly using an aqueduct or water source located far away in the surrounding mountains. Fountains throughout history have been crafted as monuments, impressing hometown citizens and tourists alike. If you saw the 1st fountains, you would not recognize them as fountains. The first known water fountain was a natural stone basin carved that was used as a receptacle for drinking water and ceremonial purposes. The earliest stone basins are believed to be from around 2000 BC. The first fountains put to use in ancient civilizations depended on gravity to manipulate the flow of water through the fountain. Drinking water was supplied by public fountains, long before fountains became elaborate public monuments, as pretty as they are practical. Beasts, Gods, and religious figures dominated the early decorative Roman fountains, beginning to appear in about 6 B.C.. The Romans had an elaborate system of aqueducts that furnished the water for the numerous fountains that were placed throughout the community.

Agrippa’s Intriguing Water-lifting Appliance

Agrippa’s Intriguing Water-lifting Appliance Although the mechanism created by Agrippa for moving water attained the respect of Andrea Bacci in 1588, it appeared to disappear not very long after. It might have become obsolete when the Villa Medici was set to get water from the Acqua Felice, the early modern aqueduct, in 1592. This becomes all the more heartbreaking bearing in mind how amazing Camillo Agrippa’s device was, totally distinctive in Italy during the hundreds of years which transpired between the fall of ancient Rome and the contemporary period. There may have been some other impressive water-related works in Renaissance landscapes in the late sixteenth century, including fountains that played music, water caprices (or giochi d’acqua) and also scenographic water presentations, but none was operated by water that defied the force of gravity.