Roman Engineering: Pont Du Gard

Roman Engineering: Pont du Gard The Pont du Gard is an ancient Roman aqueduct that crosses the Gardon River near the city of Nīmes, previously known as Nemausus, in southern France. It was fabricated during the first century AD. The bridge portion of the Pont du Gard is made up of three tiers, and is a staggering nine-hundred-and-two feet long and one-hundred-and-sixty feet tall at its uppermost point. The entire aqueduct stretches for roughly thirty miles. Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, deputy to Augustus, the first Roman Emperor, was credited for its construction. During the fifth century, it was in a severely poor condition; it was later restored in the mid eighteenth century. Aqueducts were truly a feat in Roman engineering. The Romans manipulated aqueducts to transport water to their cities, and more specifically, to their farms and public baths. Roman aqueducts moved water purely through gravity alone. Springs were the most prevalent source of water for these aqueducts. Aqueducts were underground for the most
It is estimated to contain fifty-thousand-four-hundred tons of limestone, extracted from the quarry of Estel, on the banks of the Gard River. The limestone blocks were precisely carved to fit perfectly with friction, which eliminated the need for mortar. The Romans’ intensive knowledge of arches helped. The builders used a complex system of block and tackle pulleys to hoist the large, massive, stones in place. They also used windlasses, machinery that gave a mechanical advantage to easily lift heavy objects, to construct the aqueduct. A complex system of scaffolding would have been used to help support the aqueduct during the period of construction. The interior of the aqueduct was painted with olive oil and is covered in maltha, a mixture of pork grease, slaked lime, and thick juice of unripe figs, creating a smooth surface for water to flow without