Mosaic Water Fountains in Pompeii

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Water and Sanitation Management in the Mediterranean " session, at the 86th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Water was a key element in the life of the Roman citizen in Pompeii. Beautiful mosaic fountain structures were constructed in several of the houses and gardens in Pompeii. So far, 11 locations with mosaic fountains have been excavated. Some of these were impressive in size, with the largest mosaic fountain located in the House of the Mosaic Columns measuring 12.5 feet wide by 14 feet high. A Roman urban architectural goal in antiquity was the use of in-house, plumbed water to foster a pleasing sensual setting. The sights and sounds of water in the key living space areas conveyed by the mosaic fountains were used to create illusions of pleasure, wealth, and leisure. These fountains were adorned with multicolored glass tiles and arranged to display images of deities and other art. Seashells (both small conches and clams) and pumice stones were used in the walls and aedicula, where bronze and marble statuettes spouted water into cascades and basins. With water as the main attraction to mosaic structure, the design of the alignment of piping and water pressure were evaluated in several of the mosaic locations and will be shown.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 86th Annual Meeting, Online (2021)   •
• Water and Sanitation Management in the Mediterranean

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 33629