Pont du Gard (Roman Aqueduct) Gallery

Panoramic view of the Pont du Gard in march at dusk, southern France

The Pont du Gard is an ancient Roman aqueduct that crosses the Gardon River near the town of Vers-Pont-du-Gard in southern France. The Pont du Gard is the highest of all elevated Roman aqueducts, and, along with the Aqueduct of Segovia, one of the best preserved. It was added to UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites in 1985 because of its historical importance.
The aqueduct bridge is part of the NA?mes aqueduct, a 50-kilometre (31 mi) system built in the first century AD to carry water from a spring at UzA?s to the Roman colony of Nemausus (NA?mes).[4] Because of the uneven terrain between the two points, the mostly underground aqueduct followed a long, winding route that called for a bridge across the gorge of the Gardon River.
The bridge has three tiers of arches, stands 48.8 m (160 ft) high, and descends a mere 2.5 centimetres (1 in) a?? a gradient of only 1 in 18, 241 a?? while the whole aqueduct descends in height by only 12.6 m (41 ft) over its entire length, which is indicative of the great precision that Roman engineers were able to achieve, using simple technology. The aqueduct formerly carried an estimated 40, 000 m3 (8, 800, 000 imp gal) of water a day to the fountains, baths and homes of the citizens of NA?mes. It may have been in use as late as the 6th century, with some parts used for significantly longer, but a lack of maintenance after the 4th century led to clogging by mineral deposits and debris that eventually choked off the flow of water.
After the Roman Empire collapsed and the aqueduct fell into disuse, the Pont du Gard remained largely intact, due to the importance of its secondary function, as a toll bridge

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L'aqueduc de Roquefavour

The aqueduct is a Roquefavour bridge - aqueduct in stone arch with a length of 393 meters and a height of 82.65 meters. Located in the town of Ventabren in the Bouches-du-RhA?ne, it is used to transport the water from the Durance to Marseille and is part of a channel called Canal de Marseille . It crosses the valley of the Arc, spanning both the river, the road to Aix-en-Provence at Berre and railway Aix-Rognac .Its construction started in 1841 and completed in 1847, was directed by the engineer of roads and bridges Franz Mayor de Montricher and William Fraisse . The architecture largely inspired by the ancient Pont du Gard, it is almost two times higher than the latter.It is still used today. Line with the TGV MA©diterranA©e passes less than a mile to the east, and also crosses the valley by a viaduct important

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FRANCE Provence Cote d'Azur Pont du Gard The Roman aqueduct spanning the river below seen from a high vantage point on the western side with tourists walking along the structure

© Hugh Rooney / Eye Ubiquitous

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