Seite - 46 - in The Power of Urban Water - Studies in premodern urbanism

46 Nicolas Lamare functionwith thenymphaeumwhichdischargedwater for theneedsof the city (in usumciuita- tis). Thequalityof thewater ismentioned inan inscription fromtheregionofGuelma,105where apool containedstagnantwater (aquapigra)which, through theworkcarriedout,hasbecome abundant again. In an inscription from Tunis,106 the two aspects mentioned are linked: the lacus sordidushas been renovated so thatwater abounds again for users. It is a rather similar reference to the three inscriptions of Rome, dated 391, whose almost similar form recalls that the prefect of the city, Flavius Philippus, had restored the nymphium sordium to its original state.107 The same rhetorical process is used byPaulinus ofNolawhodescribes, in carmen 21, theoldstateof theaqueductandthereturnof the flowtosupply thecitiesofAbellaandNola.108 Conclusion Fountainswere located inprominent locations in the city, on squares, alongmain roads, or at major intersections, forseveral technicalandpractical reasons.Furthermore, thehighlightingof thesebuildings is explainedby thewillingness of the imperial or private sponsors to represent themselvesandtodisplaythebenefits theyofferedtothecity. Inthecontextof thesimultaneous constructionof awater supply anda fountain, the latter symbolises thedurability of thewater nowbrought to the city; in the context of amajor urbanplanningprogramme, it is through its architectureanddecoration, capableof glorifyingapersonandhis entourage, that the installa- tionof the fountain is justified, playingwithurbanperspectives. Themarksofuseon thebasins testify tohowtheavailabilityofwaterwas facilitatedby the strategic location of themonumental fountains. They constituted important places ofmeeting andsociability,wherepeoplewouldencounter eachotherwhencoming todraw from them,as inthecaseofsmall street fountains.Assuch, their interactionwithresidentialdistrictsandcraft workshops should be studied further, on sites whose topography is sufficiently documented. Beyondthe3rdcentury, constructionsandrestorationscontinued.Fountains, far frombeing merelydecorative,continuedtobeessentialelementsof thewaterdistributionsystem.Although the installation of the fountains was more dependent on an existing hydraulic network, the buildingsremainedlocatedinthecentreofcities.Theseconstructions inthelateantiqueperiod, documented at least until the mid-4th century in North Africa, do not necessarily mean the development of new districts, but do imply, on the other hand, redevelopments that may be linked to adaptationsof the supplynetwork. Thanks to a study focused on aparticular type of building, here the fountain, considering its layout, its decoration, its primary functionand themultipleuses that it couldhave, and the multiple activities that could take place there, it is possible to contribute to the discussion on urban sensoryarchaeology.109 It behovesus to reinterpret theuses towhich certainplaces and buildingswereputandtodistanceourselves fromthe traditionalconnectionsbetweentypology and function. In thisway, itwill bepossible to renewourunderstandingof theancient cityand to comprehend its agencyaswell as all its sensoryperceptions and subtleties. 105 CILVIII, 5335= ILS, 5730= ILAlg I, 256. 106 AE1955, 55. 107 CILVIII, 1728a; CILVIII, 1728b; CILVIII, 31912. 108 Paul.Nol.Carm. 21, 751–753, 781–784, 799–815;Herbert de laPortbarré-Viard 2013, 214–218, 228f. 109 Haug–Kreuz 2016.