The Bridge of Three Arches: Building the Pont du Gard
Narrator: In the mid-first century AD, the Roman Empire is expanding its reach, bringing grand architecture and engineering marvels to the province of Gallia Narbonensis in southern France. The growing city of Nemaususâmodern-day NĂŽmesâdesperately needs fresh water for its public baths, fountains, and villas. Roman engineers have designed a magnificent fifty-kilometer aqueduct to carry water from the springs of Ucetia. However, a massive obstacle stands in their way: the deep, steep-sided gorge of the Gardon River.
Marcus: (Unrolling a large papyrus blueprint on a stone outcrop) Look at this chasm, Valerius! It is nearly three hundred meters wide. To maintain the precise, gentle gradient required for gravity to carry the water, our aqueduct channel must cross this gorge at exactly forty-nine meters above the riverbed. If the slope is too steep, the water will erode the channels; if it is too flat, the water will stagnate.
Valerius: It is an unprecedented height, Marcus. To span this distance, we cannot build a solid stone wall. The wind in this valley is ferocious, and a solid structure would act like a giant sail, catching the gales and collapsing into the river below. We must use arches to let the wind pass through.
- Aqueduct:
- A channel or bridge constructed to convey water over a long distance, typically utilizing gravity to maintain flow.
- Cutwater:
- A wedge-shaped projection on a bridge pier designed to split the force of oncoming water and protect the structure from floating debris.
- Treadwheel:
- A large wooden wheel rotated by people walking inside it, acting as a human-powered engine to hoist heavy materials.
- Mortar:
- A workable paste used to bind building blocks such as stones or bricks together and fill the gaps between them.
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Preview questions from this passageShowHide
- 1Why does the growing city of Nemausus need the aqueduct built?
- 2Why is maintaining a precise, gentle gradient crucial for the aqueduct channel?
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About this reader's theater passage for Middle School
âThe Bridge of Three Arches: Building the Pont du Gardâ is a reader's theater reading passage about Ancient Roman Engineering and Collaboration, written for Middle School. It takes about 5 minutes to read (782 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.