Quezi

Pont du Gard - courtesy http2007 - CC-BY

The Pont du Gard is a segment of Roman aqueduct found in the South of France.  It is almost 200 feet high and 900 feet long.

The elevated aqueduct bridge was designed to carry the water across the Gardon river valley and was part of a nearly 31 mile long water system that brought water to the Castellum in the Roman city of Nemausus (Nîmes). The Pont du Gard is the largest of several intact sections of this Roman aqueduct.

It was built shortly before the Christian era and the Roman architects who designed it created a technical and artistic masterpiece. It was constructed entirely without the use of mortar. The aqueduct’s stones were precisely cut and fit perfectly together eliminating the need for mortar. This Roman engineering feat was begun by Agrippa in about 19 BC, was completed over a century later during Trajan’s reign. From beginning to end there was a down gradiant of only a little over 60 feet and it supplied over 300 gallons of water per person, per day, to city residents.

The Pont du Gard was added to UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites in 1985.

In 1998 the Pont du Gard was involved in a major flood which caused widespread damage in the region. The road leading to it and the neighboring facilities were badly damaged. The aqueduct itself was not harmed.

For more information about ancient Rome