Pont sur la Laye
Pont sur la Laye | |
|---|---|
 Pont sur la Laye | |
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| Locale | Mane, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, France |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Segmental arch bridge |
| Material | Stone |
| Total length | 40 m |
| Width | 3.2 m |
| Longest span | 11.40 m |
| No. of spans | 3 |
| History | |
| Construction end | Roman or Romanesque period |
| Location | |
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The Pont sur la Laye or Pont roman de Mane (English: Romanesque Bridge of Mane) is an old stone arch bridge across the stream Laye in the French Provence close to the town Mane.
Construction
[edit | edit source]The 40-metre-long (130 ft) and 3.2-metre-wide (10 ft) bridge features three segmental arches with a span to rise ratio of up to c. 3:1.[1] Its spans are 2.80 m, 7.90 m and 11.40;[2] the thickness of the two larger arch ribs is between one and two Roman feet,[3] making the structure one of the few Roman bridges whose ratio for rib thickness to span is lower than the commonly applied ancient standard of 1:20.[3]
The bridge was built of local limestone whose shape varies according to its function: the arches consist of voussoirs, the spandrel walls of irregular stonework.[4] The main pier is protected both upstream and downstream by large triangular cutwaters out of rectangular blocks of stone.[4] The paved roadway rises sharply from the left bank to the main arch, and then drops in a gentler gradient to the higher bank on the other side.[4] The parapet, which has been reported as partly removed by O’Connor in 1993, has been apparently repaired in the meantime.[2]
Dating
[edit | edit source]According to the Italian bridge builder Gazzola, the Pont sur la Laye dates from the end of the 1st or beginning of the 2nd century AD,[4] thus belonging to a round dozen known Roman segmental arch bridges.[1] Structurae, though, ascribes an early Romanesque origin to the structure (11th century).[2] Following the Mane homepage, the two side arches, along with their breakwaters, were added as late as the 17th century,[5] which means that the segmental arches are of a relatively late date.
See also
[edit | edit source]- List of Roman bridges
- Roman architecture
- Roman engineering
- Romanesque architecture
- List of medieval bridges in France
Notes
[edit | edit source]- ^ a b O’Connor 1993, p. 171
- ^ a b c Pont sur la Laye at StructuraeLua error in Module:WikidataCheck at line 29: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
- ^ a b O’Connor 1993, p. 169 (Fig. 140)
- ^ a b c d O’Connor 1993, p. 96
- ^ Homepage of the town of Mane
Sources
[edit | edit source]- Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
External links
[edit | edit source]Error creating thumbnail: File missing Media related to Lua error in Module:Commons_link at line 62: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). at Wikimedia Commons
- Pont sur la Laye at StructuraeLua error in Module:WikidataCheck at line 29: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
- Traianus – Technical investigation of Roman public works
