Roman Bridge (Saint-Thibéry)

Roman Bridge
Coordinates 43°23′34″N 3°25′58″E / 43.392887°N 3.432836°E / 43.392887; 3.432836Coordinates: 43°23′34″N 3°25′58″E / 43.392887°N 3.432836°E / 43.392887; 3.432836
Carries Via Domitia
Crosses Hérault River
Locale Saint-Thibéry, Hérault, France
Characteristics
Design Segmental arch bridge
Material Stone
Total length Ca. 150 m
Width 4 m
Longest span 12 m
Number of spans 9
History
Construction end Reign of Augustus (30 BC–14 AD)
Roman Bridge
Location in France

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

Nearby water mill

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 2 O’Connor 1993, p. 171
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 O’Connor 1993, pp. 98–99
  3. ↑ O’Connor 1993, p. 169f.

Sources

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

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