What powered the magnificent fountains of the past?

Question:Although lacking modern technology, civilizations such as the Roman Empire had them all throughout their great cities. How did they work?

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: Although lacking modern technology, civilizations such as the Roman Empire had them all throughout their great cities. How did they work?

All Rome’s water was brought into the city by aqueduct, these collected water into cistern towers for distribution to some private houses and to public fountains for the general population. By using a series of narrowing lead pipes (Latin for lead – plumbum – becomes plumbing) gravity and the narrowing radius would feed the water efficiently from the cisterns to the fountains. Since these were for practical water distribution rather than display (although carved and ornate fountains were made) the spray wasn't expected to be enormously high.

The standards of surveying and engineering required to make the aqueducts (the longest was almost 60 miles long) with a tiny gradient, for every 200 feet of length the height dropped 1 foot, and this had to be consistent otherwise the water would collect and slop over, are absolutely staggering.

gravity

yea gravity, the water would be milled up to water channels and dropped down a channel then beneth the street and would pop back up. the water would drain back out into the city water supply or to wash down the citys gutter

gravity, and/or pressurized water. they did have pipes back then, they used terracotta, and the Archimedes screw.