Glanum Dam
Encyclopedia
The Glanum Dam, also known as the Vallon de Baume dam, was a Roman
arch dam
built to supply water to the Roman town of Glanum
, the remains of which stand outside the town of Saint-Rémy-de-Provence
in south-west France
. It was situated south of Glanum, in a gorge that cut into the hills of Les Alpilles in the Roman province of Gallia Narbonensis
. Dating to the 1st century BC, it was the earliest known dam of its kind. The remains of the dam were destroyed during the construction of a modern replacement in 1891, which now facilitates the supply of water to Saint-Rémy-de-Provence in the Bouches-du-Rhône
region of France.
The remains of the Roman dam at Glanum were rediscovered in 1763 by Esprit Calvet
with a more recent study published by S. Agusta-Boularot and J.L. Paillet in 1997. It is thought that the dam originally was composed of two curved parallel masonry walls, each around 1 metres (3.3 ft) thick and separated by a gap around 1.5 metres (4.9 ft) wide which was likely filled with earth and rubble. The cut stone blocks were held together by crampons and finished with Cordon joints designed to protect against water ingress. At each end of the dam there was an abutment
cut into the rock of the gorge. Overall the dam stood 6 metres (19.7 ft) high with a thickness of 3.5 metres (11.5 ft). The circumstances of its construction, including its dimensions and location in a steep-sided gorge, point towards it being a true arch dam. The dam collected water that was fed into an aqueduct
that in turn supplied the Roman town of Glanum.
A modern arched gravity dam was constructed on the same site in 1891, destroying the remains of the Roman dam. The dam's reservoir is called in French the Lac des Peiròu and is accessible via the Chemin du Barrage.
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
arch dam
Arch dam
An arch dam is a type of dam that is curved and commonly built with concrete. The arch dam is a structure that is designed to curve upstream so that the force of the water against it, known as hydrostatic pressure, presses against the arch, compressing and strengthening the structure as it pushes...
built to supply water to the Roman town of Glanum
Glanum
Glanum was an oppidum, or fortified town, founded by a Celto-Ligurian people called the Salyens in the 6th century B.C.,. It was known for the healing power of its spring. It became a Roman city in Provence until its abandonment in 260 A.D....
, the remains of which stand outside the town of Saint-Rémy-de-Provence
Saint-Rémy-de-Provence
Saint-Rémy-de-Provence is a commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône department in southern France.-Geography:...
in south-west France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. It was situated south of Glanum, in a gorge that cut into the hills of Les Alpilles in the Roman province of Gallia Narbonensis
Gallia Narbonensis
Gallia Narbonensis was a Roman province located in what is now Languedoc and Provence, in southern France. It was also known as Gallia Transalpina , which was originally a designation for that part of Gaul lying across the Alps from Italia and it contained a western region known as Septimania...
. Dating to the 1st century BC, it was the earliest known dam of its kind. The remains of the dam were destroyed during the construction of a modern replacement in 1891, which now facilitates the supply of water to Saint-Rémy-de-Provence in the Bouches-du-Rhône
Bouches-du-Rhône
Bouches-du-Rhône is a department in the south of France named after the mouth of the Rhône River. It is the most populous department of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Its INSEE and postal code is 13.-History of the department:...
region of France.
The remains of the Roman dam at Glanum were rediscovered in 1763 by Esprit Calvet
Esprit Calvet
Esprit Calvet was a French physician and collector. In his last will, established in 1810 and canceling his previous testament of 1788, Calvet donated his cabinet of curiosities, his library and art collections to the city of Avignon, his birthplace...
with a more recent study published by S. Agusta-Boularot and J.L. Paillet in 1997. It is thought that the dam originally was composed of two curved parallel masonry walls, each around 1 metres (3.3 ft) thick and separated by a gap around 1.5 metres (4.9 ft) wide which was likely filled with earth and rubble. The cut stone blocks were held together by crampons and finished with Cordon joints designed to protect against water ingress. At each end of the dam there was an abutment
Abutment
An abutment is, generally, the point where two structures or objects meet. This word comes from the verb abut, which means adjoin or having common boundary. An abutment is an engineering term that describes a structure located at the ends of a bridge, where the bridge slab adjoins the approaching...
cut into the rock of the gorge. Overall the dam stood 6 metres (19.7 ft) high with a thickness of 3.5 metres (11.5 ft). The circumstances of its construction, including its dimensions and location in a steep-sided gorge, point towards it being a true arch dam. The dam collected water that was fed into an aqueduct
Aqueduct
An aqueduct is a water supply or navigable channel constructed to convey water. In modern engineering, the term is used for any system of pipes, ditches, canals, tunnels, and other structures used for this purpose....
that in turn supplied the Roman town of Glanum.
A modern arched gravity dam was constructed on the same site in 1891, destroying the remains of the Roman dam. The dam's reservoir is called in French the Lac des Peiròu and is accessible via the Chemin du Barrage.
See also
- List of Roman dams and reservoirs
- Dara DamDara DamThe Dara Dam was a Roman arch dam at Dara in Mesopotamia , a rare pre-modern example of this dam type. The modern identification of its site is uncertain, but may rather point to a common gravity dam.- Ancient account :...