Excursions to Nimes, Pont du Gard, and Pont du Julien

Last Friday, April 6, 2012 we chartered a bus and took all fifty-five students and five faculty members to Nimes and Pont du Gard.  On Saturday, March 31, 2012 we took the students to Pont du Julien for a picnic lunch after spending the morning at the open market in APT, a neighboring mountaintop city.  I am including images from both excursions in this blog.

Nimes was an important Roman city, however, the hilltop overlooking the town was first occupied during the late Bronze Age.  The city expanded during the Iron Age because of its trading links with the Greek town of Massalia (Marseilles).  The Romans conquered the region in 121 BC and constructed the main east-west route between Italy and Spain called the Via Domitia and later the main north-south route.  Nimes was at the intersection of these important transportation routes.  To protect them the Romans built a strong military post in Nimes.  Nimes grew as it became a vital mercantile and administrative center.  The Emperor gave the city special governmental status and certain privileges to its citizens.  Although Narbonne was the official capital of the province, Nimes eclipsed it in commercial and cultural importance  until the end of the Roman rule.  In the meantime, Augustus granted land to veterans of his Egyptian and other African campaigns.  The military unit's symbol was a crocodile tied to a palm tree.  The city continues to use the symbol on streets and signs.  In the height of its popularity, the city was surround by a high wall more than 6 km long.  It contained more than 30,000 inhabitants.  

Maison Carree.  The most complete Roman temple that survives in the region is the Maison Carree or Square House.  It was built under Augustus in the late 1C BC and was inspired by the Temple of Apollo in Rome.  It was consecrated to the Imperial Cult and dedicated to Augustus's grandsons.  The temple faced the Forum.  It was constructed with finely carved engaged and freestanding columns.  The pure lines of the building, its harmonious proportions, and the elegance of its fluted columns fascinated Thomas Jefferson who was influenced by this building in his design for the Virginia State Capital in Richmond. Like most temples, the Maison Carree has a portico.  This one is defined by ten free-standing Corinthian columns.  The interior consisted of one large room, the cella, which was accessed by a wide set of fifteen steps from the street.  The column capitals, entablature, cornice, and pediment are decorated with acanthus leaves, bouquets and geometrical moldings in high Corinthian style.  The temple has been in constant use since its construction.  At times it has functioned as a church, stable, store, archive, and now a museum.  Unfortunately, nothing of the original interior survives.

Amphitheater.  The Roman arena in Nimes is similar to the one in Arles.  They are both modeled after the one in Rome.  All three date from the same time period (late 1C, early 2C) and have roughly the same dimensions and layout.  The one in Nimes is believed to have been able to hold around 25,000 people.  The structure was built of a good quality limestone.  The arena hosted many gladiator events until such entertainment was forbidden in 404.  The Visigoths turned it into a fortress with towers and dug a deep moat around it.  Like the arenas in Rome and Arles, many of the seats have disappeared, but it is wonderful to see how the structure was built.  From the upper portion it is easy to see how it all worked.

Temple of Diana.  Although the temple is in ruins, it provides a wonderful opportunity to see how these structures were built.  The temple formed part of the sacred complex that also included a theater.  Little is know about this structure.  It has features that suggest that it may have been used as a library.  It may have been built during the Augustan period and modified in C2 AD.  It survived as a church until the Wars of Religion in the C16 when it fell into ruins.

The water supply for Nimes was brought from Uzes by an aqueduct only part of which survives.  The Pont du Gard was an important link in the aqueduct system.  It is an amazing structure.

Pont du Julien.  The stone bridge is located near Bonnieux.  It is a key bridge over the Coulon river which in the Roman period was navigable.  The road is part of the Via Domitia.  The bridge is 68 m long and is constructed with three different sized arches.  The two large openings in the piers were designed to help relieve water pressure when the river flooded.