Barbegal #1 by photosynthesis
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Description
Just outside of Arles, we visited the ruins of a Roman aqueduct & watermill. The stone construction was impressive & the late afternoon light was ideal for photographing it...
Some info from Wikipedia:
"The Barbegal aqueduct and mill is a Roman watermill complex located on the territory of the commune of Fontvieille, near the town of Arles, in southern France. The complex has been referred to as "the greatest known concentration of mechanical power in the ancient world".
The site of the Barbegal aqueduct and mills is on a Roman aqueduct that was built to supply drinking water from the mountain chain of the Alpilles to the town of Arles, France (then called Arelate) on the Rhone River. Twelve kilometers north of Arles, at Barbegal, near Fontvieille, where the aqueduct arrived at a steep hill, the aqueduct fed two parallel sets of eight water wheels to power a flourmill. There are two aqueducts which join just north of the mill complex, and a sluice which enabled the operators to control the water supply to the complex. The mill consisted of 16 waterwheels in two separate descending rows built into a steep hillside. There are substantial masonry remains of the water channels and foundations of the individual mills, together with a staircase rising up the hill upon which the mills are built. The mills apparently operated from the end of the 1st century until about the end of the 3rd century. The capacity of the mills has been estimated at 4.5 tons of flour per day, enough to supply bread for as many as 10,000 of perhaps 30-40,000 inhabitants of Arelate at that time. It is thought that the wheels were overshot water wheels with the outflow from the top driving the next one down and so on, to the base of the hill."
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Comments (8)
Juliette.Gribnau
oh I like this; the colors remind me of Ireland
durleybeachbum
Gorgeous light!
ArtistKimberly
Fantastic
mtdana
It is interesting you can see what I assume is the channel in the that as fallen over. Must have really been Impressive to see in person. Great capture!!!
MrsRatbag
The gold tone really burnishes the stone with an air of mystery and age. Beautiful shot!!
Glendaw
Very, very impressive massive rock formations ! Thanks for the awesome photo and sharing the interesting information.
danapommet
An outstanding photo and who would believe that this would be still standing!
netot
Great history and a fantastic place for photos!