Fountains: Why The Romans Were Fanatical

Water features are strongly connected to the Roman history in particular because water had a solid religious implication. This was not uncommon in the societies of the times as the early Greek religions also placed much trust in water and water springs were changed into shrines to kings and nymphs as well as their gods and goddesses. The Greeks knew that the ability for a dwelling to live comes from a sustainable source of good water and so the places where their water sprung from were heralded as a blessing. They also had the means to move this wholesome water to other sites of interest via pipes or aqueducts. The Greeks had detailed many fountains in their historical 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 another fountain shrine to Neptune, which incorporated a dolphin with water flowing from its mouth.

Still today it is straight forward to be familiar with how these early works have inspired later and even modern models. The Romans were very engaged with these calming fountains and understood the significance and importance of the aqueducts too. They made this type of fountains their own by using their own religious and heroic icons to adorn the fountains, as well as using the skill 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 by the side of the area amid Campagna to the capital, Rome. This was one of the most significant turning points in Roman history, as the rebirth of their capital, with a clean supply of water was marked with a magnificent set of public fountains, where the plebarians could obtain fresh water from. Not surpisingly, there were rich and important members of Roman society who were able to hire their own private water supply and custom made their own fountains to party. Examples of private statues are spraying a great water jet to a lower basin.

Even today, guests to Rome, discover the fountains to be a commanding and awe inspiring scenery, particularly the Trevi Fountain, which signalled the conclusion of an aqueduct, made in 19BC, fetching water from the Salone Springs, nearly 20 KM from Rome. There is a myth associated to this particular fountain, that if you turn your back to the fountain and chuck in a coin and it lands in the water, you will come back to Rome but if not, you won't. This has apparently survived from the era when legions would make an offering to their gods before going on a expedition into war, which just demonstrates how the religious significance of the Roman fountains has not at all been lost in time.