Fountain of the Lions

Fountain of the Lions

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00:00 Built in the 14th century, it featured 12 lions that each shot out a jet of water to show what time of day it was.

00:07 In a controlled sequence, the lions would activate hour by hour until all of them were spouting out water by midday.

00:14 The large bowl in the center of the fountain had 12 holes placed at very specific heights, each leading to a lion via a series of internal pipes.

00:24 A central pipe would fill the bowl at a slow and constant rate, causing the water level to rise and activate the lions one by one

00:31 After twelve hours, a clever siphon inside the bowl would reset the system naturally.

00:36 As the water in the bowl started to rise, so did the water in the siphon.

00:40 Once it reached the top, it would curve and start falling down the drainage pipe. 

00:45: At this point, a seal was created and this activated the siphon and in a matter of seconds, the bowl would drain completely, and the process would start again.