Seite - 45 - in The Power of Urban Water - Studies in premodern urbanism

3 Fountains and theAncient City 45 manus was a characteristic feature of Late Antiquity, an example being the construction of arcades andcolonnades, evenmore frequent in the easternMediterranean than in thewest. In NorthAfrica, inaddition to theNorthernFountainof Sbeitla or that ofDouggawhich is known by an inscription,100whose porticoes could offer passers-by a rest area along one of the city’s major avenues, the Fountain near theBasilica of Servus in Sbeitla illustrates this emphasis on the pedestrian use of urban roads: the esplanade in front of the fountainwas positioned over thedecumanus,cuttingoff thepassageforvehicles,butallowingfreecirculationforpedestrians bymeans of stairs (Fig.9).Wemust think of themany activities that could take place in the streets, squares, or under the porches of the classical and late antiqueMediterranean cities. I have alreadymentioned a game carved on the slabs of the Lacus of Terentius in Dougga and theone identifiedalong theentranceporticoof theNorthernFountainofSbeitla. It isnecessary to take into account not only the building, but the space as a whole, in order to be able to build a topographyof thehumanactivities of the late antique city: fountains, because of their ornamentaland functional role,areable tocontribute to thisapproach.101Nevertheless, regard- ing theaesthetic impact, if the choiceof this location results in theblockingof a traffic lane, it places the fountain in theperfect alignment of a secondary cardo. Ontheotherhand,Lavanbringsup thepoint that thedevelopmentofmain roadshasoften been to the detriment of secondary streets, evenmore frequently in the East. Examples of late antique African fountains were located along themain roads, as in the Early Roman Empire. The Fountain of Liberalis in Timgad and theNymphaeumof Tipasa are both found along the decumanusmaximus; in the latter case, if the apse located on the edge of the decumanus did not offer a perspective on this main road, the probable redesign of the pavement, creating a circular pattern, facing thebuilding,wouldhaveenhanced its appearanceandstaged its deco- ration. The same applies to the Fountain of the Tetrarchy in Cuicul, situated along themain road going South andwhich, at the same time, obstructed an alley between the Great South Baths and the House of Bacchus. Its location between these two buildings, at the level of a slight change in the axis of the street, however, allowed the fountain to be seenwhen coming from the southand the easterndistrict (Fig.3), but also tobe easily accessible from theportico of theGreatBaths. Fountains reflect a willingness tomaintain a certain degree of ornamentation in the city, but they are not a sign of particular wealth or demographic and urban expansion. One will recall the imperial constitutionwhich recommended the construction of a portico at the front of bath buildings in order to increase the beauty of the city.102 In fact, an aesthetic concern persistsuntil a very lateperiod,aconcern that couldbesatisfiedby theconstructionandresto- ration ofmonumental fountains,whose ornamental rolemust not be neglected. Indeed,while it is difficult to analyse the visual aspect of late antique African fountains, due to the lack of examples and detailed architectural studies, the textual sources do express themeaning that was intended tobegiven to thesemonuments. Aninterestingaspectmentionedinthe inscriptions is thatofwaterqualityanditsavailabili- ty tousers.Theemphasis in thetexts isontheoppositionbetweentheoldandcorruptcondition of the pipe or fountain and the remedial action that restored its original appearance and use. At Lemellef,103 reference is made to the water from the spring thatmulto tempore deperierat while restorationhasmade itabundansagain in the fountain.AtDougga,104 the conductwhich, ruined by obsolescence, could no longer ensure the flow of water, was restored to its original 100 Seen.73. 101 ApproachsuggestedbyLavan2003.Onecouldproposetodevelopa ‘topographyofsociability’ in theclassical and late antique city. 102 Cod. Theod. 15, 1, 50. 103 CILVIII, 8809= ILS, 5785=AE 1908, 30. 104 CILVIII, 1490=26568=AE 1904, 122= ILAfr, 533=Dougga43.