Augustus | schwingeninswitzerland

Magglio, the Luger and Sneaky Pete took a road trip to the south of France with us. After stopping at Châteauneuf-du-Pape, we headed to Orange, France. It is a town in Provence that is famous for its Roman amphitheater and its triumphal arch (Arc de Triomphe) built by Augustus. It was a cute, convenient place to stay on the way further south.

Signs of the town’s Roman heritage are everywhere.

Just in case you weren’t informed of the city’s Roman heyday, they have these bronze medallions the sidewalks to let you know. The pigeons did not seem suitably impressed with their home. In the photo below, they seem to have been using this alcove for their personal loo for centuries. That is one giant mound of pigeon poo.

The amphitheater is really well-preserved. It is a similar size as the one in Arles, but better preserved. It has wonderful acoustics and is still used for concerts.

We took a nice walk around the amphitheater before having dinner inside it. Sometimes restaurants in amazing locations are gimmicky, overpriced or have bad food. In the amphitheater, we had a wonderful meal in this amazing venue. Amazingly, most of the people there were locals. We couldn’t believe that we were eating inside a Roman amphitheater…very surreal and way cool.

The Luger and Sneaky Pete at the dinner table

After dinner, we took a stroll through town to see the arch of triumph. Having done the research, this is how I explained why it was built. Orange was a major crossroads. People were passing through this town that once ruled over Holland and England. In 25 A.D., in honor of the Gallic Wars, Augustus built this arch in honor of Rome’s victory in the Gallic Wars. Essentially, it was a giant billboard that said “look what we did to these guys, do you want a piece of this?”

Châteauneuf-du-Pape Rocked Us…Literally (schwingeninswitzerland.wordpress.com)
Wine Museum In Châteauneuf-du-Pape (schwingeninswitzerland.wordpress.com)
“Orange” You Glad You’re Going to France? (boundforfrance.com)
Pont Du Gard (schwingeninswitzerland.wordpress.com)
Arc de Triomphe (maninamsterdam.wordpress.com)

Pont du Gard is an imposing viaduct built by the Romans. Frankly, at over 2000 years old it’s amazing that it is still standing. The engineering behind it is even more astonishing. We’d heard that it was pretty cool from Hokie over at The Swiss Watch Blog. When Magglio, the Luger and Sneaky Pete visited, we made a trip to check it out.

In 19 B.C., Roman emperor, Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa (Augustus’ son-in-law) built it. The Pont du Gard carried water across the Gard river valley, 25 km (15.5 miles) west of Avignon.

It wasn’t an isolated piece of infrastructure. It was part of a larger nearly 50 km (31 mi) aqueduct. The system brought water from springs near Uzès to Nîmes (known in Roman times as Nemausus) with a slight grade. Its 34 cm/km (1/3000) grade its entire 50 km. Walking around, you can see other parts of this system.

It took between 800 and 1000 men about three years to build. When it was completed, it transported 20,000 cubic meters (44 million gallons) of water daily. Constructed without the use of mortar (bearing masonry), its stones are held together by iron clamps. Some of the stones weigh 6 tons. They were moved into place using a complex system winch system. You can still see the remains of the supports for the complex scaffolding.

Not a Peugeot or a Citroen but a Mazda

As the Roman Empire declined, they began to worry more about the barbarians at the gates than maintenance of their infrastructure. Deposits filled up a majority of the channel space. It was unusable by the 9^th century. Once it wasn’t useful for delivering water, people took what they could from it, taking stones for other purposes. It was also used as a footbridge across the river.

In the 18^th century, the aqueduct was restored. Even by this time, it was tourist attraction. Additional restorations were done under the reign of Napoleon III in the mid-19^th century. The workers carved their names in the stonework. These aren’t the only graffiti. The original Roman workers also carved their names. French masons over the years have also left their markings. It looks like way more work than a can of spray paint, but clearly lasts much longer. I am not suggesting tagging monuments, only noting that graffiti has been around since before the birth of Christ and impressed that we can still see it.

The Pont du Gard is an amazing piece of engineering and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is so impressive that it is easy to overlook its beautiful surroundings. Enjoy the three-tiered series of stone arches, just don’t forget to enjoy the rest of the view. It is a great place to take a dip, picnic or fly a kite.