Pont du Gard
Functional architecture
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
What side of the ara pacis has the relief of
tellus?
What sides of the ara pacis are the processions
on?
What is the content of the 2 processions?
What did the 2 women (who framed the main
woman) represent in the Tellus relief?
What were the inauguration and dedication
dates of the ara pacis?
What side was the scene of Aeneas on?
What was the main propaganda message of the
Aeneas relief?
What had Augustus done to deserve the ara
pacis?
Why did the senate have to make the ara pacis
for Augustus?
What is the name for these parts of a door?
b
a
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
East side
North and South
Augustus family & senators
Fresh water and Sea Water
13-9 BC
West
a
That Augustus is pietas and holy and
great like aeneas
Pacified spain and gaul
Because Augustus was not accepting
any triumphal honours
Lintel and doorjamb
b
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Where is the Pont du gard located (modern name)?
Where is the pont du gard located (roman name?)
What place did it transport water to?
Where did it transport water from?
What dates are associated with the ara pacis?
What is on the west side?
What is on the east side?
What is on the north side?
What is on the south side?
What is on the base of the exterior wall below the
reliefs?
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OU_359Z50g&mode=related&search=
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..\..\..\..\..\MY VIDEOS\youtube videos for
teaching\art\canoe pont du gard.flv
..\..\..\..\..\MY VIDEOS\youtube videos for
teaching\art\Le Pont du Gard.flv
..\..\..\..\..\MY VIDEOS\youtube videos for
teaching\art\Pont du Gard.flv
..\..\..\..\..\MY VIDEOS\youtube videos for
teaching\art\Pont du Gard !.flv
Hello Mr. Workbook…p.13
Location: France!
Roman Name: _______ (under control of Rome from 120 BC)
Modern Name: Nîmes (what other piece of architecture have we studied from there?)
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Architectural type: Functional, Aqueduct.
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Purpose: Carried water from a spring near Uzes (50km away) to
supply Nîmes with water
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Dates of Construction: find in Paul Artus
Reasons for Dating:
19BC – when commissioned by Marcus Agrippa
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Dimensions: 49m high and 275m wide across the gorge
Workbooks… p.14
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When was it built?
What is it built with? uncemented masonry quarried locally,
which was very accessible and cheap
Who probably constructed it? Slaves and Soldiers but was
commissioned by Marcus Agrippa
Number of arches:
find in Paul Artus
Height of structure: Find
Length (of top level): Find
The canal
Lined with: waterproof cement. So that the
water f____ smoothly & does n___ leak.
Located: on the top of the aqueduct
Covered with: stone bosses for repairs
Pont problems and Sensible solutions
Problem
Solution
Repeated arches in a row mean
The height of a bridge
needed to cross the Gard they can span any length eg. One
length at the bottom (142m) and
another at top of the gorge
(275m)
The flow of water against the
bridge
Copy down info
under’pointed piers’ and
‘the river’
The pier heads in the
bottom row are wedge
shaped to cut the flood
current and reduce
turbulence
Pont problems and Sensible solutions
Problems
solutions
The weight of the
bridge
The weight of the structure is
lessened as the depth of the
arches decreases from bottom
to top – 6.36m, 4.56m, 3.06m
The properties of the arch mean
it is strong enough to cope with
the weight of the structure &
distribute the weight evenly as
well as deal with the water it
carries
The force of winds on the bridge
Find information under
‘The Wind’ in Paul
Artus
construction
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The blocks weighed up to 6
tonnes
Blocks were labelled before
they were put together
Local limestone was used
from the river valley
The cost of labour was
reduced by using slaves &
soldiers
No carved decoration
Projecting stones were used
for scaffolding & were left to
assist with repairs in future
The aqueduct was a cheaper
method of transporting water
instead of using lead pipes.
What are these?
More details
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The water was piped to the
various areas of Nîmes eg.
Private houses, public baths,
public drinking fountains.
This part of the aqueduct crosses
the gorge of the river Gardon,
(which is why it is called the Pont
du Gard – Bridge over the river
Gardon).
It is located 21km from Nîmes
it is a utilitarian structure.
The source of the water
(Uzes) is higher than it’s
destination (Nîmes) so
gravity causes the water
to flow downhill with
reasonable pressure. The
pont du gard has a slight
drop of 11cm over 275m
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“It’s Harmonious &
beautiful!”
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The arch on the bottom tier
is the same width as 3
arches on the top tier
The arches of the 2 bottom
tiers are the same width