Water fountains have existed since ancient times. The huge variety in indoor fountains and outdoor fountains can be attributed to the idea having spread among hundreds of cultures over thousands of years. The earliest fountains merely redirected a natural spring, and couldn’t create towers and sheets of water because there were no technologies to generate more hydraulic head: the force that allows water to rise in a fountain.
The ancient Greeks made some of the earliest breakthroughs in creating more sophisticated water fountains. They used sophisticated gravity systems to create water fountains for homes, public places and temples. One of the more unusual roles Greek fountains played was to give automata – mechanisms designed to look like people and animals – the power to move. Historical accounts of these are hazy, but they indicate a sophisticated understanding of water pressure.
The gravity pump may have existed during that period, but it definitely existed during the Roman era. At that point, fountains were used to mark the end of aqueducts where they might be accompanies by simple statuary and other decorations, but also served as a source of drinking water. When Rome fell, its conquerors destroyed the aqueducts, emptying the fountains and forcing thousands to leave in search of fresh water. Romanesque designs are still popular as garden fountains.
The next great development in fountains occurred in Persia, where aristocrats enjoyed fountains both for their intrinsic beauty and in service to Islamic codes of cleanliness. In the 12th Century, Al-Jazari invented the double action water pump: the first pump capable of drawing liquid through true suction. Thanks to him, you can not only enjoy a modern water fountain but your basic plumbing.
Once this technology passed to the West, Europeans began developing their own sophisticated fountains. In the 16th Century Pope Urban VIII commissioned the Trevi Fountain – probably the most famous fountain in the world. Interestingly, the Trevi Fountain was built as a revival of an old Roman aqueduct fountain, bringing history full circle.
Patronage drove the development of ever more impressive fountains, featuring gods, angels and other neoclassical designs. In England, artists designed fountains to resemble natural grottoes, and after the Industrial Revolution the modern fountain style, with the smooth lines you can see in many of our wall fountains evolved.
So when you add a water fountain to your home, you’re doing more than adding a relaxing, beautiful element to your décor. You’re tapping into a tradition as old as human civilization – and with enough stylistic variety to give you endless choice.
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