Dear All,
Please write about this image (this is from a city that you have read about and if you cannot recall what it is, I would go through the powerpoint about urbanism from class). Please remember that all posts are due BEFORE class. Also please read each other posts. If someone has already identified this building and what it is, then think about what else you can add rather the repeating what someone else has said. Think about comparisons for this building? Is it common? why do people build these? does a Roman city need one?
Elizabeth
I agree with Hannah’s point that the empty niches of the Jerash nymphaeum leave one wanting to imagine the sculptural program. Like the fountain house of Arsinoe, were nymphaea often dedicated to elites, or could they be built in the name of deities? Besides protection by nymph statues, how would other cultural elements (local/Greco-Roman) be embodied by sculptural figures at an important monumental structure symbolizing a scarce and life-giving resource? Who commissioned nymphaea? How many ancient Near Eastern cities offer evidence for the presence of nymphaea? Are there anymore examples as well-preserved as in Jerash, or rather just foundations, like in Petra? Certainly, the presence of a nymphaeum was an important element of a city. However, would every city have had one (or more)? If not, why?
I am interested in the empty niches. I wonder if they were originally filled with sculpture and if so of whom. Emperor or gods? Also I would like to envision the original in general, for example would the walls be painted? If so, do we know the designs? I know that the palace of Herod from Masada has beautiful wall paintings and am just wondering how similar would that be to something found in Jerash. Could we speak of “international” wall design or are there more regional trends? Also would there be vegetation such as trees and bushes that would add some color, scent, and nature to this architectural space?
It was probably not used for ritual baths in Jerash – while the Romans are super-duper keen on their baths, religious bathing, using like a miqvah (insert alternative spelling) or the ablutions done before praying in Islam, is not an aspect of the ancient Roman or Greek world.
But fountains would be supplied by a local spring or in most cases an aqueduct.
the situation that Chaya describes in southern italy is more like what we could have expected in the Roman world.
The Jerash nymphaeum is big and magnificent. I would like to comment on its function. Someone already noted its decorative function as a monument. However, it should be stressed that water is a very important element in the Levant and in the Mediterranean area in general. Fountains had and still have the function of offering cool places to rest and, in this case, shade and probably water to refresh the body. It is not likely that a nymphaeum in a public space would have been used for ritual baths. I am wondering whether the nymphaeum was located at a natural spring and whether the water was drinkable. To have fresh water to drink in such a hot climate is very important. Even today in southern Italy, there are public fountains, where many people, especially children, assemble to drink and play with the water.
Yes – I am referring to Kevin Lynch’s nodes from the image of the city since I think that it really applies to the nymphaeum (I think that a lot of his work on urbanism is applicable to the ancient city, which is highly imageable / has high visibility) – I think that the fountain wants you to stop and linger and pay attention to it.
Also it may be a hellenistic innovation (aka McKenzie) – we don’t know for sure but considering the influence of Alexandria in the east it would not be surprising.
They gave status to those who erected them and the peoples of the city really needed them – since clean water was and still is in many parts of the middle east.
I remember being struck by Judith McKenzie’s assertion that nymphaea originated not by the Romans in the 2nd century AD, but was a 3rd century BC Ptolemaic invention, combining Egyptian and Greek characteristics (61-62). The Fountain House of Arsinoe II was decorated with statues of Arsinoe as well as nymphs. I wonder what the sculptural program at the nymphaeum in Jerash would tell us?
I could be reading far too much into this…
You are mentioning Kevin Lynch’s description of city planning (paths, edges, districts, nodes, and landmarks), yes? If so, then this fountain would totally fit the node/landmark definition. It appears to be located off the main cardo on axial alignment with the Zeus temple complex but near enough to the temple of Artemis? Would people possibly make ritual ablutions (or just meet up at the fountain) then process from the fountain into the temple complexes?
To add to the discussion of the nymphaeum’s function, it is also worth noting that they often (or always) had half-domes which would have created a shaded area below. In this picture, for example, you can see the remnants of the dome at the very top center of the structure.
In terms of why a Roman city might need one, the display of water in a dry climate would have indicated the status and power of any city that was able to afford one.
Thus I find the combination of status indicator, public gathering space, and source of respite from the sun, to be a compelling explanation for their presence in cities across the Near East.
They are primarily curved – the first example may be the fountain house of Arsinoe II in Egypt, perhaps to get the water to flow in an interesting way (I have not read Betsey Robinson’s book on fountains which would probably aid in answering this question) – the shade might be a compelling answer. It is not built into a hillside (nor all of of them) so it’s not for that reason.
I also wonder if the circular space creates a “node” in space, where people can pause – the rectangular spaces usually help people transition from one place to another
First off, it is interesting to note the broken pediment motif we’ve seen already popularized in places such as Petra. It is also interesting to compare the scaenae frons from the theater also at Jerash with its decorative background and series of niches for sculpture as a similar design—though not curvilinear as this nymphaeum. Which leads me to wonder if Roman nymphaeum were predominately constructed as curvilinear rotundas; if not, what was the driving force to produce this particular design? Was it a distinctive style for a particular period or was the design indicative of the surrounding geography (i.e. built into a hillside or curved to maximize shade and reduce evaporation of water)?
A nymphaeum is a building or room that contains a fountain adorned with statues of water nymphs and plants (such as acanthus leaves, as Sydney had earlier pointed out). The water nymph statues were meant to sanctify springs. Nymphaea were essential to an ancient city in the Levant because they served as reservoirs and resting places. We have seen nymphaea in Dendera in Roman Egypt.
Yes it is the nymphaeum from Jerash?
For some else what is a nymphaeum and why do you really want one (or more) in your city in the Levant?
Where else have we seen them?
This, if I remember correctly, is the remains of a nymphaeum from Jerash. I recall the semi-circular shape and the free standing columns in front from the plan, and I believe we saw a reconstruction with freestanding figurative statuary placed in the niches of the structure. One thing that I find interesting about this building is the use of broken (forward and back) pediments along the rim of the entablature. Moreover, the capitals (on the pilaster columns and the square columns) are worthy of mention as well, as they appear to be a mix of different traditional column types. They seem to have acanthus leaves alongside more typically corinthian capitals.