Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The lake of Nîmes, built between 40 and 80 AD under Emperor Claude, was intended to supply the city with water from the fountain of Eure near Uzes. Its 50 km layout, including the famous Pont du Gard, demonstrates exceptional technical know-how, with a constant slope of 25 cm/km for a flow of 35,000 m3/day. Research (1984-1990) revealed two phases of use: a first active period (I–II century), followed by a decline from the third century, with a likely abandonment in the sixth century.

The construction combined unarmed concrete, lime mortar and limestone, reinforced by waterproof coatings including a reddish mixture (maltha). The building was strengthened by foothills and between walls. In 2023, a discovery extended its initial 2 km route to the sources of the Moulin Neuf (Saint-Quentin-la-Poterie), suggesting a more complex than envisaged collection network.

The protection of the aqueduct was staggered: the bridge of the Gard was classified in 1840, followed by the castellum divisorium of Nîmes (1875) and other remains (arch of Remoulins, bridges of Vers-Pont-du-Gard) between 1979 and 1999. In Saint-Gervasy, archaeological remains and parcels crossed by the aqueduct were recorded on 7 May 1999. The book illustrates Roman engineering and its adaptation to garriguen relief.

In the 19th century, a second canal partially doubled the ancient aqueduct to maintain the water supply of Nîmes. Geochemical (1986) and archaeological studies (Fabre, Records, 1991) have specified its functioning, revealing traces of degradation as early as the third century. Today, its remains, spread over several communes of the Gard, remain a major testimony of Roman urban planning in Narbonnaise.

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