Perge F-5 Nymphaion

Water has been of vital importance for human beings since ancient times. While a sacred feature is sometimes attributed to the gods associated with it, sometimes it emerges as basic material that constitutes beginning of life. Since early ages, people have gathered around freshwater resources and founded residential areas. The communities who initially supplied the need of water by natural ways constructed various buildings for bearing the water to their residential area because of some reasons such as overpopulation, climate changes etc. As a result of this, fountains have emerged. While the fountain had the characteristics of a sacred area, it lost this feature in time during Roman period. The fountains were initially seen as ornamental elements of villa and palaces, they were seen both as monumental buildings for propaganda and architectural elements built for daily use in which basic needs were provided. In terms of terminology, the fountains are rich. The fountains can be named as Nymphaeum, Pege, Hydreion, Krene, Hydrekdokhion based on their functions. If we look at the ones with exedra form in terms of the structure which I have studied among the fountains seen in many different forms as plan, we can say that its origin comes from grotto arrangements named as Nymphaion which is dedicated to Nymphs and defines their sacred areas. Perge F-5 Nymphaion is also an exedra-formed fountain as plan. The nyphaion is 16x18 m. in dimensions and its semidiameter is 7 m. In apse pool, again there is a small dipping pool in form of apse. When the building is compared similar samples, we can say that it is covered by a vault in shape of dome. There is no data showing that ten statues found in the nympaion belong to this building. As a result of evaluating extensive architectural activities started in Perge ancient city during IInd century AD and fountains built in the same plan with this nymphaion in Anatolia, we can date Perge F-5 Nymphaion into IInd century AD. We can mention about a repairment made by bricks in the West part of the nymphaion. The date of this repairment can be accepted as IIInd century AD based on the date of North Bath near the nymphaion in which too many bricks were used in architectural aspect.