Legacy of Antiquity.

Throughout the centuries, water has been an essential source of life and has dictated the form gardens have taken as their most vital element. In arid lands like Egypt, annual floods used to water the banks of the Nile, turning enclosed gardens into lush retreats, stocking swimming pools and nurturing pleasant shade trees. In addition to this miraculous annual rejuvenation, water was also drawn from the Nile along dams and irrigation canals. These determined the shape and layout of the gardens, usually arranged in a symmetrical grid. The pool was the centerpiece of the ancient Egyptian garden and was usually the exclusive property of high society who used it for pleasure, but also to store fish and birds. The design of the ancient Egyptian garden was considered so important even in the afterlife that its design can be seen in the tombs of the pharaohs and the nobility, to be used by the deceased. The Egyptians believed in deities such as Nut (also the Goddess of the sycamore tree) who provided for their needs both in life and in the afterlife. Many of these representations are laden with pomegranates and figs so that the deceased can continue to receive nourishment in later life. An example of this can be seen in the Tomb of Nebamun at Thebes c. 1400 BC An inscription on another tomb at Thebes says

‘Let him wander around my pool every day forever. May my soul sit in the branches of the garden of the tomb that I have prepared for myself. Let me cool every day under my sycamore.

Water features, both inside and outside Egyptian gardens, played a crucial role in the daily ritual of religious life. The larger gardens had several randomly placed pools to help cool the air.

Ancient Greece and the Roman Empire
The ancient Greeks were amazed when they first beheld the magnificent gardens of the eastern Persian kings. Water features enhanced by architectural settings likely originated in Greece when springs were imprisoned to preserve their purity and later decorated as shrines.

Homer’s Odyssey has one of the earliest writings of a Garden and Water, written between 750 and 650 BC. C. he Mentions the Garden of King Alcinous, which depends on two things: water and divine intervention. Homer describes the garden of Alcinous, king of the Phaeacians, as rich in pears, apples, pomegranates, and sweet figs that grow throughout the year. In Book V, Homer also describes Calypso’s garden:

“And around the cave was a wood in bloom, sweet-smelling alders and poplars and cypresses. And there sat long-winged birds, owls and hawks and chattering sea-ravens, who have their business in the waters. And behold, Around the hollow cave trailed a garden vine, all rich in clusters. And four neatly placed fountains flowed with clear water, close together, each following its own course. And all around, soft meadows bloomed with violets and parsley, yes. , even an immortal god who came there could marvel at the sight and rejoice in his heart.

In his book Phaedrus, written around 350 B.C. C., Plato and his friend talk by a stream about the sanctified atmosphere of the place. Plato comments:

‘The spring that runs under the plane, how beautifully cool is its water for the feet. ‘

As seen earlier in ancient Egypt as well, the Greeks also believed in deities such as nymphs who inhabited streams and grottoes. Nymphs are personifications of the creative that encourage the activities of nature, most often identified with the spring that gives life. The association of nymphs and muses led to informal arrangements of figures in and around fountains and decoration with natural stones and shells.

The writings of the Roman poet Ovid in his Metamorphoses are some of the earliest descriptions of the way water fountains have been decorated. He describes Diana’s grotto as a cave that included a fountain stream that had pumice-decorated walls below a moss-covered floor. In their grottoes and caves, the ancients used to apply a deliberately rough layer of pumice stone chips that Ovid called “living pumice stone”. Green ochre, a natural earth pigment, was also used to imitate living moss in a grotto.

In Pompeii, Italy, there are many examples of fashionable water features that were used in the seaside city, providing a welcome retreat from Rome’s sweltering summer heat. The lucky residents of the nearby villas were able to enjoy gardens that were refreshed and enlivened with fountains and ponds. Marble sculptures, especially fountain figures in ancient Rome, often took their subject from mythology or something with particular reference to the owner of the house. Bronze was a popular metal and was more durable than marble. Bronze wall fountains with animal heads on marble basins were very popular throughout the Roman Empire and were used singly or in groups around a water feature. Typical examples of these are the Lion Wall Fountains and, in particular, the two dogs and a boar from the richly decorated house of the sitarist in Pompeii, now on display in the Archaeological Museum of Naples. Lionhead spikes were one of the earliest forms of water features. This is because the lion has been an icon for humanity appearing in almost every culture in Europe, Asia and Africa. The lion has been a popular symbol of imperial majesty for thousands of years. It has also had a positive representation in many cultures of being brave and strong but being noble. This lion symbolism has been used in garden water features from ancient times to the present day.

Ancient manuscripts on hydraulics were rediscovered during the Renaissance when designers revived the lost art of fantastic fountains for the great Italian gardens.