Pont du Gard
In
1985 Pont
du Gard
(French
for Bridge
of the Gard River) was
designated as a National Heritage Site by UNESCO . This structure was
first conceived about 40 A.D. as a key part of the Nimes aqueduct. The Romans offered
their
legions "retirement benefits" for those fellows lucky enough to survive
a
career of war campaigns; one such location was the city of
Nimes. This community eventually grew to over 20,000
people due in no small part to an abundant and reliable water supply.
Major Construction circa 40 AD
One of the greatest and
best-preserved examples of Roman architecture in France, Pont
du Gard was a major construction project (40-60 A.D.) under the
empires of Claude and Nero shortly before the Christian era. It stands 160 feet above the Gard
River and is the highest of all Roman aqueducts.
On Patrick's recommendation, we enjoyed our picnic lunch in
the warm
sunshine on the banks of the Gard savoring the wonderful weather,
peaceful setting, good food, and the company of our Rick
Steves' Tour group.
After lunch, we explored the excellent
museum of Roman architecture in France at the
visitor's center. Each of us felt the impact of 2000 years
of history and wondered how many others had walked along the same river
bank.
Masonry with no Mortar
Constructed
of masonry without the use of mortar, the structure consists
of three tiers
(layers) of massive arches – the first tier forms the lower
bridge structure and is made up of 6 wide arches at the bottom; the
second tier is made up of 11 medium-size arches, and the upper-most tier of 35
smaller arches. The top tier carried up to 9,000,000 gallons of water
per day using a covered aqueduct channel. The complete system of
channels and tunnels carried water from a spring located 31 miles from
Nimes. Pont du Gard was not only durable, surviving ravages of nature
for centuries, but it was also efficient. The Nimes aqueduct carried water the entire 31-mile
distance in 24-30 hours and required a drop of only 150 feet of elevation.
Bankers' Marks
Close examination of this structure reveals remarkable
2000-year old construction marks used by the 1st-century masons to
schedule and organize their work. Each stone element had a specific
shape and predesignated location in the structure. For example, the
Roman numerals I, II, III ... can still be seen carved on the stones on
bottom surface of this arch.
