Aqüeducte De Les Ferreres
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The Ferreres Aqueduct ( ), also known as the Pont del Diable (; ), is an ancient
bridge A bridge is a structure built to Span (engineering), span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or railway) without blocking the path underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, whi ...
, part of one of the
Roman aqueduct The Romans constructed aqueducts throughout their Republic and later Empire, to bring water from outside sources into cities and towns. Aqueduct water supplied public baths, latrines, fountains, and private households; it also supported min ...
s that supplied water to the ancient city of
Tarraco Tarraco is the ancient name of the current city of Tarragona (Catalonia, Spain). It was the oldest Roman settlement on the Iberian Peninsula. It became the capital of Hispania Tarraconensis following the latter's creation during the Roman Empire ...
, today
Tarragona Tarragona (, ; ) is a coastal city and municipality in Catalonia (Spain). It is the capital and largest town of Tarragonès county, the Camp de Tarragona region and the province of Tarragona. Geographically, it is located on the Costa Daurada ar ...
in
Catalonia Catalonia is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationalities and regions of Spain, nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia of 2006, Statute of Autonomy. Most of its territory (except the Val d'Aran) is situate ...
,
Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
. The bridge is located 4 km north of the city and is part of the Archaeological Ensemble of Tarraco (listed as a UNESCO's
World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...
since 2000).


Description

The Tarraco aqueduct took water from the Francolí river, 15 km north of Tarragona. It probably dates from the time of the emperor
Augustus Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian (), was the founder of the Roman Empire, who reigned as the first Roman emperor from 27 BC until his death in A ...
. Les Ferreres Aqueduct is composed of two levels of arches: the upper section has 25 arches, and the lower one has 11. All arches have the same diameter of 20
Roman feet The units of measurement of ancient Rome were generally consistent and well documented. Length The basic unit of Roman linear measurement was the ''pes'' (plural: ''pedes'') or Roman foot. Investigation of its relation to the English foot goes ...
(5.9m) with a variation of 15 cm. The distance between centres of the pillars is 26 Roman feet (7.95m).Tarragona (Spain) at romanaqueducts.info
/ref> It has a maximum height of and a length of , including the ends where the specus (water channel) runs atop a wall. Image:Aqüeducte de les Ferreres Tarragona 2.jpg, Image:Aqüeducte de les Ferreres Tarragona 3.jpg, Image:Aqüeducte de les Ferreres Tarragona 1.jpg, Image:E5367-Tarragona-Aqueduct.jpg,


See also

* Roman bridges * List of Roman aqueduct bridges


References


External links

*
Les Ferreres AqueductArchaeological Ensemble of Tárraco - UNESCO's World Heritage Sites Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ferreres, Aqueducte de les World Heritage Sites in Catalonia Roman aqueducts outside Rome Roman bridges in Catalonia Bridges completed in the 1st century Aqueducts in Spain Water supply and sanitation in Catalonia Roman sites in Catalonia