Water fountains are powerfully connected to the Roman civilisation in particular because water had a stout religious significance. This was not unusual in the societies of the times as the early Greek religions also sited a lot of trust in water and water springs were improved into shrines to kings and nymphs as well as their gods and goddesses. The Greeks understood that the ability for a community to survive comes from a sustainable source of flowing water and so the places where their water came from were seen as a blessing. They also had the means to convey this wholesome water to other sites of interest via irrigation or aqueducts. The Greeks had written many fountains in their history books, such as The Spring of Pirene at Corinth, which contained of many springs coming out of a white stone mural to Pegasus, with a basin at the foot. In the same city, there was additional fountain shrine to Neptune, which integrated a dolphin with water flowing from its mouth.
Still today it is simple to identify how these early works have stimulated later and even modern models. The Romans were very engaged with these stunning fountains and understood the significance and importance of the aqueducts too. They made this sort of fountains their own by using their own religious and idolised icons to decorate the fountains, as well as using the expertise of the time to ensure the availability of fresh natural spring water to all cities of their empire.
Still today, Italy has the scars of these magnificent aqueducts along the stretch between Campagna to the capital, Rome. This was one of the most significant turning points in Roman history, as the rejuvenation of their capital, with a clean supply of water was marked with a amazing set of public fountains, where the communities could fetch fresh water from. Not surpisingly, there were rich and significant members of Roman culture who were able to rent their own private water source and custom made their own fountains to party. Examples of private statues included spraying a great water jet to a lower basin.
Even today, visitors to Rome, stumble upon the fountains to be a controlling and awe inspiring scenery, especially the Trevi Fountain, which signalled the conclusion of an aqueduct, built in 19BC, getting water from the Salone Springs, over 20 kilometres from Rome. There is a myth connected to this precise fountain, that if you turn your back to the fountain and toss in a coin and it hits in the water, you will come back to Rome but if not, you won't. This has apparently survived from the age when legions would make an offering to their gods before going on a expedition into battle, which just demonstrates how the religious worth of the Roman fountains has not at all been lost in time.
Felicity is a intermittent scribe, writing occassional articles in the UK about Water Features for the Garden. They also specialise in Henri water features and deliver throughout the UK, with showrooms based near to Manchester. ukwaterfeatures.com
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