Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Nîmes Watershed is a Roman structure designed to carry water from Uzes to Nîmes, on a route of about 50 km through the Garrigue. Its construction, estimated between 40 and 80 AD (probably under Emperor Claude), incorporated technical innovations such as a constant slope of 25 cm/km, allowing a flow of 35,000 m3/day. The monument consisted of an unarmed concrete radier, masonated straight feet and a canal covered with waterproof coatings, including a reddish layer called malta, based on lime and quartz sand.

Archaeological studies, notably those of Émile Espérandieu (1926) and research from 1984 to 1990, revealed two phases of use: an initial period of optimal operation (150 years with clear water), followed by degradation from the third century, marked by earth deposits. It probably ceased to be exploited after the sixth century. Its layout, marked by works of art such as the Pont du Gard or the arches of the Pradier and Joseph combs, was progressively protected as historical monuments between 1840 and 1999.

In 2023, an archaeological discovery revealed an extension of the collection network to Saint-Quentin-la-Poterie, adding more than 2 km to the initial length. The lake began at the fountain of Eure (Uzes) and ended at the castellum divisorium of Nîmes, where water was distributed. The materials used — lime mortar, limestone, waterproof coatings — and the accuracy of its slope testify to an exceptional Roman hydraulic know-how.

The legal protection of the aqueduct took place over two centuries: the bridge of the Gard was classified in 1840, followed by the castellum of Nîmes in 1875, then arches and sections between 1979 and 1999. In Marguerites, the remains and parcels crossed by the aqueduct were recorded on 30 April 1999. Today, the book illustrates Roman engineering and its adaptation to relief, while remaining a symbol of ancient water heritage in Occitanie.

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