Every Agora Needs a Fountain: The Early Roman Imperial Fountain on the Upper Agora of Sagalassos (SW Turkey)

Abstract

The water supply network and its management at the Pisidian city of Sagalassos (SW Turkey) are relatively well-known but recent archaeological research has uncovered further remains of this supply network which not only add to our understanding of the network itself but also of its impact on the cityscape. An Early Roman Imperial fountain built on the newly organised Upper Agora of Sagalassos was the result of the combination of traditional form and innovate city-scaping. The new fountain did not merely supply water to the urban populace. Through its prominent situation within the urban landscape it offered a visual statement of the amenities which the city provided. The construction of the monumental fountain also signalled an important change in the public use and display of water. In the end, the fountain gave way to the Antonine Nymphaeum, as part of a developing urban landscape with the intention to surpass the existing monument with a new template of representation