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Origin and history

The Roman remains from Caparoon to Fontvieille are part of a water supply system built in the middle of the first century to feed Arles. This southern aqueduct, about ten kilometers long, captured the Alpilles springs above Maussane and Paradou, crossing the valley of the Arcs south of Fontvieille. He joined a second aqueduct, Saint-Rémy, in a convergence basin in Fontvieille before continuing towards Arles for 12 km, including underground structures and water bridges.

In the 2nd century, the southern aqueduct was diverted to the Barbegal milling complex, where the water operated 16 auget wheels to grind the grain. This site, 61 m long, is considered the highest concentration of mechanical power in the ancient world, with an estimated production of 4.5 tons of flour per day, sufficient to feed the 12,500 inhabitants of Arles. The excavations of the 1990s confirmed its civilian use, reversing the hypothesis of military or state exploitation.

The complex, partially classified as a historical monument in 1886 and 1937, consists of two parallel water bridges crossing the valley of the Arcs. One was used for the Arles aqueduct, the other for the Barbegal bypass. The canal was divided into two arms, each feeding 8 mills, separated by a central staircase. The total power, estimated at 50 kW, was distributed among the 16 wheels, each developing about 3 kW. Significant remains, including a wheel returned in 2020, are visible on site or at the Château de Montauban.

The engineer Q. Candidius Benignus, member of the body of the carpenters of Arles, was proposed as a possible designer of the complex, although this attribution is based on an suggestive funeral inscription and the assumptions of Fernand Benoit. Recent excavations (2017-2020) have helped to reconstruct a wheel, illustrating Roman hydraulic techniques. Today, the site remains an exceptional testimony of ancient industrialization, combining technical innovation and landscape integration.

Barbegal milling, active from the beginning of the 2nd to the beginning of the 3rd century, was probably linked to a Roman villa near the Merindole. A 2018 study, analysing limestone deposits on the wheels, suggests that flour was used to produce bread for boat crews, highlighting the regional economic role of the site. Partially ranked in 1937, the site preserves impressive remains, accessible to the public.

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