We get a lot of stuff as we live, mostly out of impulse or to quell the sqawkin' of our offspring, and never consider the ridiculously rich history swirling around half of it. Ironic how "having" isn't really "knowing" an item, and isn't near half the truth of the thing either.
Philosophy aside, and to aim this arrow more narrowly, "what is the history of pools?". Any guesses? Keep them in your mind and write them to us, and if we miss anything you think's important send that too cause we're likely not gonna paint a perfect picture and would like to know what you know!
WHERE N' WHY..
(Above:The Great Bath)
Now, ready for some interesting stuff? (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohenjo-daro) Mohenjo-daro is a ruin in Pakistan that, aside from being built 2500 years before Christ walked the earth and of astounding complexity, is home to what's known as "The Great Bath". Clevery constructed of incredibly closely laid brick and mud, coated with waterproof tar, this "pool" had a liquid capacity of around 50,000 gallons.
The purpose of the bath is still debated, though it is generally agreed to have been ceremonial, or at least reserved for the "upper echolon" of the Indus Civilization who're supposedly the genius's behind the city.
(Above: Maecenas Villa)
Now we've seen who did it first, but who did it right? In my opinion that'd be Gaius Maecenas of Rome who had the first heated pool. Talk about affluent could you imagine having hot tubs before electricity? I mean, those're my kind of priorities but I'm just a poolboy. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaius_Maecenas)
Of course, it all becomes rather bland after roman times when they began standardizing the process and installing baths/pools in various sizes for sports and leisure. Mention must be made of the intentional flooding of the Colosseum, which was used to stage full fledged naval battles for the entertainment of the people. An absolutely impressive feat which to me makes it a "pool" by loose definition. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colosseum)
(Below: Naval Battles in the Colesseum)
Now I know this little rundown barely made a splash in the full history of the subject, but hopefully it started a wave that'll carry you into deeper study of the field. There's a lot to be learned.
A Quick Time-Line of Interesting Pool Stuff of Yore
-2500BC: "The Great Bath" at Mhenjo-daro
-1st Century BC: Roman Pools, Heated Pools
-4th Century BC: Ancient Sinhalese built pairs of pools called "Kuttam Pokuna" in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka
-1844: Maidstone Swimming Club founded in Maidstone, Kent in Britain in response to drownings in the River Medway.
-1869: The Amateur Swimming Association was founded in England
-1896: The modern Olympic Games started and included swimming races which greatly increased personal pool popularity.
-1907:The first swimming pool to go to sea on an ocean liner was on the White Star Line's "Adriatic"
Questions/Comments?
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Misty.Deen@aeonbluepool.net
