- Introduction
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Read and study the following vocabulary words. Click on each link to hear the pronunciation and try saying the words aloud. If you find it difficult to pronounce a certain word, be sure to write down a pronunciation note. Example: la chambre (shahmbr).
Read and study the following vocabulary words. Click on each link to hear the pronunciation and try saying the words aloud. If you find it difficult to pronounce a certain word, be sure to write down a pronunciation note. Example: la chaise (shayz).
Read and study the following vocabulary words. Click on each link to hear the pronunciation and try saying the words aloud. If you find it difficult to pronounce a certain word, be sure to write down a pronunciation note. Example: le lit (lee).
Read and study the following vocabulary words. Click on each link to hear the pronunciation and try saying the words aloud. If you find it difficult to pronounce a certain word, be sure to write down a pronunciation note. Example: balayer (bah-lah-yay).
A Bridge Made for Water! While the gorge of the Gardon River did pose a problem, it did not make the task of building an aqueduct impossible. The Roman engineers were able to build a bridge that could carry the water across the river gorge, while maintaining the necessary slope to allow the flow of water to continue toward Nîmes. The name of this bridge is the Pont du Gard. Pont is the French word for bridge, and Gard is the name of the department (or geographical area) where the bridge is located. As you learned in Unit 1, Metropolitan France is divided into 22 regions, and these regions are further divided into 96 departments.
The Pont du Gard is considered to be an engineering marvel. As the pictures show, three tiers of arches were constructed from yellow limestone, and the bridge is held together simply by the weight of the precisely cut stones that were carefully put into place. This means the bridge contains no mortar! The Pont du Gard is 902 feet long and at 160 feet, it is the tallest of all Roman aqueduct bridges. There are six arches on the lower tier, 11 on the middle tier, and 35 on the upper tier. The best estimations indicate that it took nearly 1,000 men approximately 15 years to complete Pont du Gard. In this aqueduct, the water flowed on the top tier inside a covered trench. Although the bridge appears to be horizontal (flat) to the naked eye, it actually drops slightly less than one inch from the high side of the bridge to the low side. This was just enough to allow for the flow of water. When the Roman aqueduct reached the city of Nîmes, the water was deposited into a large reservoir and then sent out in several large water mains to various parts of the city. The aqueduct provided millions of gallons of fresh water per day to the city for the drinking supply, Roman baths, fountains, and sanitation. As you know, fresh water is a crucial part of daily life, and it is interesting to note that the average Roman in Nîmes used more water each day than we currently do in modern times.
References "Finding Nemo in Nîmes." Roman History in Provence's Nîmes by Rick Steves. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Aug. 2014. "Nimes City Guide." Nimes. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Aug. 2014. "Pont Du Gard." Pont Du Gard. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Aug. 2014. "Pont Du Gard (Roman Aqueduct)." - UNESCO World Heritage Centre. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Aug. 2014. "Site Du Pont Du Gard." Site Du Pont Du Gard. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Aug. 2014. The History of the Languedoc: Romans: The Pont Du Gard." The History of the Languedoc: The Pont Du Gard. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Aug. 2014. |
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