Bridge of the Gard
Pont du Gard, (French: “Bridge of the Gard”) giant bridge-aqueduct, a notable ancient Roman engineering work constructed about 19 bce to carry water to the city of Nîmes over the Gard River in southern France.
What is the significance of the Pont du Gard?
The Pont du Gard is the centrepiece of an aqueduct designed to supply running water to the city of Nemausus (Nimes). Its extraordinary dimensions—50 metres high, 490 metres wide (originally)—and its excellent state of preservation make it one of the most valuable relics of Antiquity.
Is the Pont du Gard still used?
Today, it remains the only example of a three-story antique bridge still standing, with three rows of arcades, one on top of the other: 6 arches on the bottom, 11 in the middle, and 35 on top.
What is Pont du Gard and where is it located?
Vers-Pont-du-Gard
Pont du Gard/Location
The Pont du Gard is an ancient Roman aqueduct bridge built in the first century AD to carry water over 50 km (31 mi) to the Roman colony of Nemausus (Nîmes). It crosses the river Gardon near the town of Vers-Pont-du-Gard in southern France.
Did slaves build the Pont du Gard?
The Pont du Gard aqueduct France A trip to the aqueduct’s museum, where all the guides have a passionate and in depth understanding of its story, helps conjure up both the violent sweat and toil of the slaves that built it in the inescapable heat and the lavish lifestyle of those it served for 5 centuries.
Who built Pont du Gard?
Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa
The Pont du Gard was built in the 1st century AD by Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa who was a statesman, general, and an architect. He was the lieutenant to Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus, nephew of Julius Caesar and first emperor of the Roman Empire, who ordered him to construct the Pont du Gard.
What is used on top of the Pont du Gard?
Built over the period of just around 15 years in 50AD using 30 million shelly limestones, Pont du Gard aqueduct has the form of three arched bridges placed one atop of other. The top of the bridge features water-carrying channel with a constant gradient of just 2.5cm from one side of the bridge to another.
Does the Pont du Gard still carry water?
Who created the Pont du Gard?
When was Pont du Gard built?
60 AD
Pont du Gard/Opened
When was Pont du Gard created?
Pont du Gard/Dates opened
Can you walk on top of the Pont du Gard?
To clarify, anyone can walk across the Pont du Gard at the normal level, but not at the top level.
Why visit the Pont du Gard aqueduct?
The Pont du Gard aqueduct, which is best known for its extraordinary scale, is alos renowned for the beauty and diversity of its natural setting. The site, which is located at the entrance to the Gorges du Gardon, in a unique mineral landscape, boasts a distinctive atmosphere. An encounter with nature…
How big is the Pont du Gard?
The Pont du Gard, nestled in the heart of a 165-hectare natural site, lies in an outstanding natural environment! The Pont du Gard aqueduct, which is best known for its extraordinary scale, is alos renowned for the beauty and diversity of its natural setting.
What is the name of the Roman aqueduct bridge?
Pont du Gard. The Pont du Gard is an ancient Roman aqueduct bridge built in the first century AD to carry water over 50 kilometres (31 mi) to the Roman colony of Nemausus ( Nîmes ). It crosses the Gardon River near the town of Vers-Pont-du-Gard in southern France. The Pont du Gard is the highest of all Roman aqueduct bridges,…
Why doesn’t the Pont du Gard have a uniform gradient?
The reason for the disparity in gradients along the aqueduct’s route is that a uniform gradient would have meant that the Pont du Gard would have been infeasibly high, given the limitations of the technology of the time.
