Why is the Pont du Gard famous?

The Pont du Gard is a Roman monument built halfway through the 1st century AD. It is the principal construction in a 50 km long aqueduct that supplied the city of Nîmes, formerly known as Nemausus, with water. Built as a three-level aqueduct standing 50 m high, it allowed water to flow across the Gardon river.

Why is the Pont du Gard important to France?

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. Like many of the best Roman constructions, it was built without mortar.

How many visitors does the Pont du Gard have?

a million visitors
The Pont du Gard has over a million visitors every year. It stands today as one of Europe’s most prestigious cultural sites.

What was the purpose of the Pont du Gard quizlet?

built by the Romans to carry water from a spring at Uzès to the Roman colony of Nemausus (Nîmes). Because the terrain between the two points is hilly, the aqueduct – built mostly underground – took a long, winding route that crossed the gorge of the Gardon, requiring the construction of an aqueduct bridge.

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.

Can you walk 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.

Who used the Pont du Gard?

Pont du Gard – Ancient Roman Bridge. Pont du Gard is an impressive ancient Roman aqueduct that served as the main component of the 50km-long canal that carried water between the spring at Uzès to the Roman colony of Nemausus (Nîmes).

What is the ability for a building material to withstand stretching known as?

17.7. 4 Ductility and malleability. Ductility is the ability of a material to sustain a large permanent deformation under a tensile load up to the point of fracture, or the relative ability of a material to be stretched plastically at room temperature without fracturing.

Who built Pont du Gard built?

Labor. 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.

Where is the Pont du Gard located in France?

Location 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.

What was the Pont du Gard aqueduct used for?

Pont du Gard, Roman aqueduct, France. The water that it brought was used, of course, for drinking. But it was also used for sanitation and to fill impressive Roman baths. The aqueduct provided an average of about 600 litres of water a day for each of the 50,000 inhabitants of Nîmes.

What did Napoleon do with the Pont du Gard?

Napoleon III, who had a great admiration for all things Roman, visited the Pont du Gard in 1850 and took a close interest in it. He approved plans by the architect Charles Laisné to repair the bridge in a project which was carried out between 1855–58, with funding provided by the Ministry of State.

Why does the Pont du Gard have 3 arches?

One of the reasons it looks so impressive is because it has three layers of arches – one of the few Roman bridges that had that many. Interestingly, the Pont du Gard probably didn’t need to have three levels of arches. The Romans soon worked out how to build bridges with taller arches, which saved time and money.