Roman Bridge (Saint-Thibéry)

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Roman Bridge
Carries Via Domitia
Crosses Hérault River
Locale Saint-Thibéry, Hérault, France
Design Segmental arch bridge
Material Stone
Total length Ca. 150 m
Width 4 m
Longest span 12 m
Number of spans 9
Construction end Reign of Augustus (30 BC–14 AD)
Nearby water mill
Roman Bridge

The Roman Bridge at Saint-Thibéry (French: Pont romain de Saint-Thibéry) was a Roman segmental arch bridge on the Via Domitia in southern France.[1] The partly surviving structure crossed the river Hérault in Saint-Thibéry, 17 km east of Béziers.[2]

Construction

The ancient bridge had nine arches with spans of 10–12 m. The roadway rested on wide piers, which were protected on both sides by arched floodways and large cutwaters.[2] The original length of the structure is estimated as 150 m, its road width as 4 m.[2] The missing spans are known to have been destroyed by flood some time before 1536.[2]

The remaining arches, with a span to rise ratio of 3.3:1 (115°) or more, show a visibly flatter profile than the semi-circular arches usually preferred by Roman engineers (180°).[1][2] The rib thickness varies between one-tenth to one-twentieth of the span, corresponding to a common ratio also observed at a number of other Roman stone bridges.[3] The structure is dated to the reign of emperor Augustus (30 BC–14 AD Immediately upstream an old water mill and its millrace is located.[2]

See also

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 O’Connor 1993, p. 171
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 O’Connor 1993, pp. 98–99
  3. O’Connor 1993, p. 169f.

Sources

  • O’Connor, Colin (1993), Roman Bridges, Cambridge University Press, pp. 98f. (G11), 169–171, ISBN 0-521-39326-4 

External links

Media related to Roman Bridge (Saint-Thibéry) at Wikimedia Commons

Coordinates: 43°23′34″N 3°25′58″E / 43.392887°N 3.432836°E / 43.392887; 3.432836

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