Greek fountains were made of stone or marble, with water flowing through bronze pipes and emerging from the mouth of a sculpted mask that represented the head of a lion or the muzzle of an animal. Hellenistic fountain head from the Pergamon museum It had nine large cannons, or spouts, which supplied drinking water to local residents. In the 6th century BC, the Athenian ruler Peisistratos built the main fountain of Athens, the Enneacrounos, in the Agora, or main square. According to ancient historians, fountains existed in Athens, Corinth, and other ancient Greek cities in the 6th century BC as the terminating points of aqueducts which brought water from springs and rivers into the cities. The ancient Greeks used aqueducts and gravity-powered fountains to distribute water. The ancient Egyptians had ingenious systems for hoisting water up from the Nile for drinking and irrigation, but without a higher source of water it was not possible to make water flow by gravity, There are lion-shaped fountains in the Temple of Dendera in Qena.Īttic Greek vase from South Italy, about 480 B.C. The lowest basin was decorated with carved reliefs of two lions. The ancient Assyrians constructed a series of basins in the gorge of the Comel River, carved in solid rock, connected by small channels, descending to a stream. A carved stone basin, dating to around 2000 BC, was discovered in the ruins of the ancient Sumerian city of Lagash in modern Iraq. History Ancient fountains An Egyptian fountain on the Temple of DenderaĪncient civilizations built stone basins to capture and hold precious drinking water. Fountains can themselves also be musical instruments played by obstruction of one or more of their water jets.ĭrinking fountains provide clean drinking water in public buildings, parks and public spaces. The musical fountain combines moving jets of water, colored lights and recorded music, controlled by a computer, for dramatic effects. A splash pad or spray pool allows city residents to enter, get wet and cool off in summer. įountains are used today to decorate city parks and squares to honor individuals or events for recreation and for entertainment. The highest such fountain in the world is King Fahd's Fountain in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, which spouts water 260 metres (850 ft) above the Red Sea. The Jet d'Eau in Lake Geneva, built in 1951, shoots water 140 metres (460 ft) in the air. Mechanical pumps replaced gravity and allowed fountains to recycle water and to force it high into the air. īy the end of the 19th century, as indoor plumbing became the main source of drinking water, urban fountains became purely decorative. The baroque decorative fountains of Rome in the 17th and 18th centuries marked the arrival point of restored Roman aqueducts and glorified the Popes who built them. King Louis XIV of France used fountains in the Gardens of Versailles to illustrate his power over nature. In the Middle Ages, Moorish and Muslim garden designers used fountains to create miniature versions of the gardens of paradise. Roman fountains were decorated with bronze or stone masks of animals or heroes. In addition to providing drinking water, fountains were used for decoration and to celebrate their builders. Until the late 19th century most fountains operated by gravity, and needed a source of water higher than the fountain, such as a reservoir or aqueduct, to make the water flow or jet into the air. It is also a structure that jets water into the air for a decorative or dramatic effect.įountains were originally purely functional, connected to springs or aqueducts and used to provide drinking water and water for bathing and washing to the residents of cities, towns and villages. Petersburg, Russia) (8) Dubai Fountain (Dubai)Ī fountain, from the Latin "fons" ( genitive "fontis"), meaning source or spring, is a decorative reservoir used for discharging water. Peter's Square (Rome) (7) Samson and the Lion fountain (Peterhof, St. (Center) Jet d'eau, (Geneva, Switzerland) Clockwise from top right (1) Fontana di Trevi (Rome) (2) Place de la Concorde (Paris) (3) Fountain in the Garden of Versailles (Versailles) (4) The Hundred Fountains, Villa d'Este (Tivoli, Italy) (5) Fuente de los Leones, (The Alhambra, Granada) (6) Fountain in St. For the Cistercian abbey in England, see Fountains Abbey. For the song by Drake, see Fountains (song).
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