The Pont du Gard is an aqueduct in the south of France constructed by the Roman Empire, and located in Vers-Pont-du-Gard near Remoulins, in the Gard département. A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a specific site (such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that has been nominated and confirmed for inclusion on the list maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 State... Pont du Gard, France Image by ChrisO File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... As of 2006, there are a total of 830 World Heritage Sites located in 138 State Parties. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a specific site (such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that has been nominated and confirmed for inclusion on the list maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 State... This is a list of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Europe. ... A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a specific site (such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that has been nominated and confirmed for inclusion on the list maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 State... Pont du Gard, France, a Roman era aqueduct circa 19 BC. It is one of Frances top tourist attractions at over 1. ... For other uses, see Roman Empire (disambiguation). ... Vers-Pont-du-Gard is a town and commune in the Gard département, in southern France. ... Remoulins is a town and commune of the Gard département, in southern France. ... Gard (Occitan: Gard) is a department located in southern France in the Languedoc-Roussillon region. ... The départements (or departments) are administrative units of France and many former French colonies, roughly analogous to English counties. ...

Name

Pont du Gard means literally bridge of the Gard (river). The Gard River, which has given its name to the Gard département, does not actually exist under this name. The river, formed by many tributaries, several of which are called Gardon, is itself called Gardon until its end. This article is about the structure. ... The Gardon at Pont Saint-Nicolas The Gardon (or Gard) is a river in southern France. ... The Gardon at Pont Saint-Nicolas The Gardon (or Gard) is a river in southern France. ...

Description

Built on three levels, the Pont is 49 m high, and the longest level is 275 m (300 yards) long.

• Lower level: 6 arches, 142 m long, 6 m thick, 22 m high
• Middle level: 11 arches, 242 m long, 4 m thick, 20 m high
• Upper level: 47 arches, 275 m long, 3 m thick, 7 m high

On its first level, it carries a road and at the top of the third level, a water conduit, which is 1.8 meters (6 feet) high and 1.2 meters (4 feet) wide and has a gradient of 0.4 percent. For other uses, see Gradient (disambiguation). ...

History

Pont du Gard, 1850s

It was long thought that the Pont du Gard was built by Augustus' son-in-law and aide, Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, around the year 19 BC. Newer excavations, however, suggest the construction took place in the middle of the first century A.D. Designed to carry the water across the small Gardon river valley, it was part of a nearly 50 km (31 mi) aqueduct that brought water from springs near Uzès to the Roman city of Nemausus (Nîmes). The full aqueduct had a gradient of 34 cm/km (1/3000), descending only 17 m vertically in its entire length and delivering 20,000 cubic meters (5 million gallons) of water daily. Download high resolution version (1208x868, 1435 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Download high resolution version (1208x868, 1435 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... The famous statue of Octavian at the Prima Porta Caesar Augustus (Latin:IMP·CAESAR·DIVI·F·AVGVSTVS) ¹ (23 September 63 BC–19 August AD 14), known to modern historians as Octavian for the period of his life prior to 27 BC, is considered the first and one of the most... Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa (c. ... Old Town Uzès is a town and commune in the Gard département, Languedoc, France, located about 15 miles north-northeast of Nîmes. ... Nîmes (Provençal Occitan: Nimes in both classical and Mistralian norms) is a city and commune of southern France. ...

It was constructed entirely without the use of mortar. The aqueduct's stones – some of which weigh up to 6 tons – were precisely cut to fit perfectly together eliminating the need for mortar. The masonry was lifted into place by block and tackle with a massive human-powered treadmill providing the power for the winch. A complex scaffold was erected to support the aqueduct as it was being built. The face of the aqueduct still bears the mark of its construction, in the form of protruding scaffolding supports and ridges on the piers which supported the semicircular wooden frames on which the arches were constructed. It is believed to have taken about three years to build, employing between 800 and 1,000 workers. This block and tackle on a davit of the Mercator is used to help lower a boat. ...

Post Roman

From the fourth century onwards, its maintenance was neglected, and deposits filled up to two thirds of the conduit space. By the ninth century, it became unusable, and the people of the area started using its stones for their own purposes. However, the majority of the Pont du Gard remains impressively intact. (3rd century - 4th century - 5th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 4th century was that century which lasted from 301 to 400. ... (8th century - 9th century - 10th century - other centuries) Events Beowulf might have been written down in this century, though it could also have been in the 8th century Viking attacks on Europe begin Oseberg ship burial The Magyars arrive in what is now Hungary, forcing the Serbs and Bulgars south...

New (1743) bridge flanking the aqueduct

From the Middle Ages to the 18th century, the aqueduct was used as a conventional bridge to facilitate foot traffic across the river. The pillars of the second level were reduced in width to make more room for the traffic, but this jeopardized the stability of the structure. In 1702 the pillars were restored to their original width in order to safeguard the aqueduct. In 1743, a new bridge was built by the engineer Pitot next to the arches of the lower level, so that the road traffic could cross on a purpose-built bridge. The aqueduct was restored in the 18th century, by which time it had become a major tourist site, and was restored again in the reign of Napoleon III in the mid-19th century. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2560x1920, 1004 KB) Pont du Gard with new bridge M. Disdero 29/12/2006 File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Pont du Gard Metadata This file contains... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2560x1920, 1004 KB) Pont du Gard with new bridge M. Disdero 29/12/2006 File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Pont du Gard Metadata This file contains... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ... (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ... Events March 8 - William III died; Princess Anne Stuart becomes Queen Anne of England, Scotland and Ireland. ... // Events February 14 - Henry Pelham becomes British Prime Minister February 21 - - The premiere in London of George Frideric Handels oratorio, Samson. ... (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ... Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte (April 20, 1808 - January 9, 1873) was the son of King Louis Bonaparte and Queen Hortense de Beauharnais; both monarchs of the French puppet state, the Kingdom of Holland. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The outstanding quality of the bridge's masonry led to it becoming an obligatory stop for French journeymen masons on their traditional tour around the country (see Compagnons du Tour de France), many of whom have left their names on the stonework. Markings left by the original builders can also be seen, indicating the positions in which the dressed stones were to be placed: for instance, FRS II (standing for frons sinistra II, or "front left 2"). This is a tradition that has been partly continued by modern visitors, often looking to make their own markings. The Compagnons du Tour de France are a French organization of craftsmen and artisans dating from the Middle Ages, but still active today. ...

Typical markings on the Pont du Gard

The Pont du Gard was added to UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites in 1985. UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) is a specialized agency of the United Nations established in 1945. ... A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a specific site (such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that has been nominated and confirmed for inclusion on the list maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 State... This article is about the year. ...

In 1998 the Pont du Gard was hit by major flooding which caused widespread damage in the area. The road leading up to it and the neighboring facilities were badly damaged, although the aqueduct itself was not seriously harmed. Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ...

The French government sponsored a major redevelopment project in conjunction with local sources, UNESCO and the EU which concluded in 2000, pedestrianising the entire area around the aqueduct and greatly improving the visitor facilities, including establishing a museum on the north bank. The project has been criticized for its cost (€33 million) and for the perceived loss of natural beauty of the surrounding landscape and area. During the redevelopment it was not possible to walk through the conduit at the top of the aqueduct; however guided crossings are now provided by the museum. The redevelopment has ensured that the area around the Pont du Gard is now much quieter due to the removal of vehicle traffic, and the new museum provides a much improved historical context for visitors. Wikiquote has a collection of quotations by or about: European Union The European Union On-Line Official EU website, europa. ... Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ...

Interior of the Pont du Gard's conduit

The Pont du Gard is today one of France's top five tourist attractions, with 1.4 million visitors reported in 2001. Download high resolution version (849x589, 59 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Download high resolution version (849x589, 59 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... This article is about the year. ...

See also

• Eifel Aqueduct
• Roman aqueducts
• List of aqueducts in the city of Rome

The route of the Eifel aqueduct, with its average slope. ... Pont du Gard, France, a Roman era aqueduct circa 19 BC. It is one of Frances top tourist attractions at over 1. ... This page is a list of ancient Roman aqueducts in the city of Rome. ...

External links

• Official Pont du Gard museum website
• Pont du Gard in the Structurae database
• Location of Pont du Gard (Michelin)
• Pont du Gard website
• Photos of the aqueduct le Pont du Gard
• Full Aqueduct (Uzes to Nimes) website (in French)
• Pont du Gard: Picture Galerie
• 600 Roman aqueducts with 35 descriptions in detail among which is the Pont du Gard

Coordinates: 43.9473° N 4.5355° E Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...