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Aqueduct at Nimes
AQUEDUCTS Artificial channels by which the Romans conducted water to specific regions. The
Romans, like the Greeks before them, were concerned about the acquisition and the supply of water. The
Greeks originated the use of tunnels, a scientific and architectural feat improved on by the Romans.
Roman engineers, including the famed Marcus Agrippa, experimented with improved forms. The first
Roman aqueducts (the Aqua, Appia and the Anio Vetus) were, like the Greek models, cut out of tunnels, but
added mighty arches to aid in water conveyance. The aqueducts became one of Rome's greatest
architectural achievements. The systems at Nimes (Nemausus) and Segovia survive.
There were three general styles: bridges, arches and siphons. Bridges were used in the aqueducts of
Nimes and Segovia, while arches were seen in the Aqua Marcia and Anio Novus. Lyons was provided
with siphons, replete with pipes laid in concrete.
Nimes, however, was the most beautiful and the most enduring. Built by Marcus Agrippa from 20 to 16
B.C., the system at Nimes brought water to the settlement from springs 31 miles away. Over the Garden
River, a bridge was built, now the "Pont du Gard," measuring some 323 feet in length and standing 53
feet high, with support arches and tiers. Slightly bent against the course of the water, the stone edifice