What does the Pont du Gard represent?
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.
Who designed the 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 does Pont du Gard mean in French?
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.
Who painted the Pont du Gard?
Hubert Robert
The Pont du Gard/Artists
Why is the Pont du Gard famous?
The Pont du Gard is the highest of all Roman aqueduct bridges, as well as one of the best preserved. It was added to UNESCO’s list of World Heritage sites in 1985 because of its exceptional preservation, historical importance, and architectural ingenuity.
What type of bridge is the Pont du Gard?
Arch bridge
Pont du Gard/Bridge type
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.
When was Pont du Gard created?
60 AD
Pont du Gard/Dates opened
What kind of structure is Le Pont du Gard?
How long did it take to build the Pont du Gard?
The main work lasted between 10 and 15 years, under the reigns of Claudius and Nero, with the Pont du Gard taking less than five years. The aqueduct in its entirety counts several hundred meters of tunnels, three basins and some twenty bridges, of which the Pont du Gard remains the most spectacular.
Is Pont du Gard still used today?
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.
Can you walk across the Pont du Gard?
The Pont du Gard site, nestled in the heart 165 ha of scrubland is the perfect place to walk, walk around and discover the many riches of this timeless place. It is a dive in a preserved fauna and flora and a protected historical heritage that we invite you to savor.
Where is the Pont du Gard in 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, built as three tiers of archways to bring water to the city of Nîmes, is the highest of all elevated Roman aqueducts, and one of the best preserved.
When was the Pont du Gard aqueduct built?
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.
Why was the Pont du Gard bridge unsafe?
However, even with the moving of the traffic to the side bridge, the Pont du Gard continued to deteriorate. Its damaged arches, loss of stonework and slow erosion slowly but surely made the bridge more and more unsafe, leading surveyors of early 1800s to believe that the collapse of the bridge was imminent.