Pont du Gard

The Pont du Gard. Image published under the GNU Free Documentation License, verison 1.2 or later

The Pont du Gard is a spectacular Roman aqueduct which spans the Gardon river valley near the village of Remoulins, five kilometres north-east of Nimes.

The Pont du Gard was part of a larger aqueduct which carried water over a distance of fifty-one kilometres from the natural springs at Uzes to the city of Nimes.

Archaeologists believe that the aqueduct was completed around 20 BC by Marcus Agrippa, the son-in-law of the Emperor Augustus.

The average gradient of the entire aqueduct, which descended a mere seventeen metres over fifty-one kilometres, was 1/3000. This slight incline was sufficient to deliver five million gallons of water each day.

The Pont du Gard, composed of three layers of arches, is forty-nine metres high and two hundred and seventy metres wide.

The lowest level, with a height of 21.87 metres and a width of 142.35 metres, comprises six arches.

The second level, 242 metres long and 19.5 metres high, comprises six arches on the same axis as the first level. An additional five arches extend the aqueduct fifty metres beyond the first level on either side of the valley.

The upper level, 275 metres long and 7.4 metres high, is comprised of thirty-five smaller arches which support the conduit.

The footbridge over the Pont du Gard. Picture by Disdero 29/12/06. Image published under the Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.5 license

The first two levels and the supports for the arches on the third level consist of large stones, many of which weigh over six tons, secured with iron clamps instead of mortar.

The stones were winched into place using block-and- tackle cranes which lifted them onto a complex array of scaffolding. Some of the scaffold ridges still protrude from the piers which supported the wooden frames used to construct the arches.

Many of the limestone blocks are numbered and bear inscriptions which identify their intended locations. There are also numerous examples of ancient graffiti, particularly the pornographic bas-relief on the fourth pier of the second storey known as "le lievre du Pont du Gard" which is visible from the pedestrian bridge on the first tier.

The foundation piers, supported by huge triangular buttresses over ten metres high, were designed to withstand the violent floods which often occur in the Gardon valley. The flood level reached the second tier in 1958 but the aqueduct, unlike the modern bridge at Remoulins, held firm.

The Pont du Gard was neglected after the collapse of the Roman Empire and many of its stones were taken and reused elsewhere.

During the Middle Ages it was used as a footbridge and an attempt was made to build a road on the second tier by narrowing the arches in order to increase the space for vehicles.

By the 18th century the Pont du Gard showed signs of collapse and so its original proportions were restored. A bridge, parallel to the lower tier, was constructed in 1743.

By this time the Pont du Gard had become a major tourist attraction and was extensively restored during the reign of Napoleon III.

The interior of the conduit. Image published under the GNU Free Documentation License, verison 1.2 or later

The Pont du Gard was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985. The surrounding area, which now offers extensive tourist facilities, has recently been redeveloped. A museum on the north bank offers guided tours of the conduit.

The development, criticised as ugly and excessively expensive, has nonetheless established the Pont du Gard as one of France's top tourist attractions with approximately 1.5 million visitors each year.

 

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