Nymphaeum

Roman period

During the Roman period, nymphaea extended their sacral use to include recreational aims, borrowing from constructions of the Hellenistic east. At a minimum, a Roman nymphaeum might be no more than a niche set into a garden wall, but many larger buildings are known. Most were rotundas adorned with statues and paintings, serving the threefold purpose of sanctuaries, reservoirs, and assembly-rooms. A special feature was their use for the celebration of marriages.

Such nymphaea existed in Corinth, Antioch, and Constantinople; remains of some twenty have been found in Rome and many in Africa. Notable examples include the so-called exedra of Herodes Atticus, the nymphaeum in the palace of Domitian, and five in Hadrian's Villa in Tivoli. The nymphaeum in Jerash, constructed in 191 AD, was originally embellished with marble facing on the lower level, painted plaster on the upper level, and topped with a half-dome roof; water cascaded through seven carved lion's heads into small basins.

Nymphaea could also be artificial grottoes using deliberately rough stones—Pliny the Elder noted that pumice was often used to give the appearance of a cave—and water was a much-desired feature, often flowing over rocks to make them glisten.

Did You Know?

• Nymphaea were important in the 1st-century architectural movement of mosaic from floor to walls and ceiling vaults.
• Early nymphaea were often decorated with geometrical mosaics incorporating shells, but by the end of the 1st century could contain ambitious figure subjects.
• The term nymphaeum was also applied to fountains in the atrium of the Christian basilica, which according to Eusebius were symbols of purification.