pièce d'eau

CONT: Les pièces d'eau peuvent être nues ou habillées de végétaux et plus ou moins décorées par des accessoires divers : pont, fontaine, ruisseau d'alimentation, etc. [...] La pièce d'eau va du très petit bassin à [...] l'étang artificiel en ce qui concerne sa surface, et du pédiluve à [...] la piscine pour sa profondeur.

CONT: Arid climates required the development of irrigation technology and because of the scarcity and great value of water, desert societies made early use of this technology to incorporate water into their gardens as a decorative feature. Ancient Persia. Contemporary descriptions of the Mesopotamian and Egyptian water displays illustrate this point by depicting decorative pools and channels that doubled as reservoirs and irrigation canals. These pools tended toward simple geometric shapes, providing the major focus in a garden or courtyard; they often included papyrus, lotus, and other water-associated plants; some were used to raise fish for food.