FOUNTAIN

in landscape architecture, an issue of water controlled or contained primarily for purposes of decoration, especially an artificially produced jet of water or the structure from which it rises. Fountains have been an important element in the design of gardens and public spaces since ancient times. An early example is preserved in the carved Babylonian basin (c. 3000 BC) found at Tello, the ancient Lagash in Mesopotamia. An Assyrian fountain discovered in the gorge of the Comel River consists of basins cut in solid rock and descending in steps to the stream. Small conduits led the water from one basin to the other, the lowest of which was ornamented by two rampant lions in relief.