Seite - 43 - in The Power of Urban Water - Studies in premodern urbanism

3 Fountains and theAncient City 43 Avery largebasin thenoccupied this corner, preceding the façade, giving thecrossroadsa rich decor. Nevertheless, I would remainmore cautious about the interpretation that only because fountains had prestigious architecture, theymust have been solely ornamental, based on the widthandheightof theparapetsof thebasins thatmade it impossible todrawwater. InSbeitla, theparapets of theNorthernFountainare indeedquitehighandshownosignsofwear,which is very surprising.My examination of this building has revealed several elements that suggest that a previous basin existed and provided a source of water.85 The catchment basins of the other two fountains on the site havedisappeared.86 In addition, onall other examples of foun- tains, whether late antique or not, the parapets of the basins, when preserved, show signs of wear,which is proof that the fountainswere still used todrawwater, as inTipasa, Cuicul, and PheradiMaius.87 This isconfirmedbythestudyofMicrasiatic fountains,whichshowtwotypesof transforma- tions.88The first is theadditionofanextrabasin in frontof theedifice, to facilitate thedrawing of water, whichwas no longer possible due to the height of the original parapet. Sometimes, this basin has been reduced in size, probably due to the decrease in water supply from the aqueduct. The second type of transformation is the perforation of the balusters of the basin parapet. These small holes allowed a stream of water to flow, underneath which a container could be placed, a technique thatwas easier than bending over to draw from the pool. Some- times, traces of snagging near the orifice suggest the presence of a bronze waterspout, as in Sagalassos.89 InNorthAfrica, at LepcisMagna, a basinwas added in front of theNymphaeum of Hercules before themiddle of the 4th century, at a timewhen part of the original drawing basinhadbeenabandoned.90 Twoholesdrilled in thebalustradepouredwater into this basin, whichwas accessed by slabs that formed a step. There is also a smallmonolithic tank buried in front of the basin of the Fountain near the Basilica of Servus in Sbeitla, which could be a late additionof the same type (Fig. 10). Some larger holesmay indicate the presence of pipes that used to supply other buildings. The example of a fountain in Pergamon91 is a good comparison for the arrangements of the NorthernFountain inSbeitla.Onthe latter, three largeholesarevisibleonthesouthernparapet of the basin, the only one left. One could assume thepresence ofwater redistributionpipes in otherpartsof thecity. Indeed, theconstructionof fountains in thesecondhalfof the4thcentury indicates that thewater supply was effective at that time, at least for the supply of the three fountains. Also, this supply could have beenmaintained until the following centuries, when theoriginalnetwork inotherpartsof thecityhadpotentiallydeclined.Thus, the fountaincould, at that time, havebeenusedas adistributingdevicewithin the city.92 InAsiaMinor,manybuildingswere transformed into fountains in the lateantiqueperiod.93 It is enough tomention themost famousof them, theLibraryofCelsus inEphesus, transformed at theendof the4th or thebeginningof the 5th centuryby theadditionof abasin in front of its monumental façade.94 There are no comparable examples to my knowledge in North Africa, although it would be necessary to study in detail the various urbanwater developments that might reveal such transformations.Nevertheless, this absence canbeexplainedby the chrono- logical shift in theconstructionof fountainsbetweenAsiaMinorandNorthAfrica:Africanfoun- 85 Lamare 2017, 99–102. 86 Seen.67. 87 Cf. Lamare 2019, 236f. 88 Jacobs–Richard 2012, 43–54. 89 Jacobs–Richard 2012, 50 fig. 27. 90 Tomasello 2005, 57–111; Lamare 2019, 347–350no.29. 91 Jacobs–Richard 2012, 48f. fig. 26. 92 Lamare 2017, 107–111. 93 Jacobs–Richard 2012, 12–22. 94 IK-Ephesos, 5110. 5115;Dorl-Klingenschmid 2001, 191no.29.