Le Pont du Gard
© Benh Lieu Song 2014
It is impossible to imagine the effect which this granite chain linking two mountains produces, this rainbow made of stone which fills the whole horizon, these three levels of porticos which eighteen centuries of sun have gilded. I have seen several of the wonders of the world, but I have never seen anything which is as beautiful, as grand, as pure, as this magnificent granite epic which is called Le Pont du Gard.
— Alexandre Dumas
To reinforce their prestige and domination throughout their many conquests, all the emperors of ancient Rome established towns during a thousand year period.
Searching for a place to settle, the Romans considered water as a “symbol of life”. To be able to build fountains, water tanks, latrines, artisan workshops or thermal baths, indispensable to the life of the city, the Romans had to be able to channel water as close as possible to the populations.
Aqueducts — a word formed from the two Latin words aqua (water) and ducere (to drive) — were therefore constructed by the builders of ancient times and nowadays Roman aqueducts, still visible, allow water to travel from source for a long way. Continue reading
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