Geochemical study of carbonate concretions from the aqueduct of Nîmes (southern France): a climatic record for the first centuries AD?

Benjelloun, Yacine; Carlut, Julie; Hélie, Jean‐François; Chazot, Gilles; Callonnec, Laurence Le

doi:10.1038/s41598-019-41620-4

Cited by 8 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…Many aquifers in the Mediterranean are currently being depleted and/or are polluted posing serious water problems 47 , 48 . The study of carbonate deposits in ancient water systems can provide long-term information on the discharge and water composition of crucial springs 20 . This knowledge can be useful for hydrologists to identify which springs can be regenerated or reused, or how depletion can be mitigated, for instance as a result of climate change 49 .…”

Section: Discussion and Perspectivesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Freshwater carbonate deposits in ancient water systems have been used to reconstruct environmental conditions 15 , 16 and to recognize local extreme events such as floods and earthquakes 17 – 19 . Moreover, they are suited to obtain archaeological information on topics such as water system usage 15 , 20 , 21 , identification of springs used 22 , number of years of aqueduct operation 15 , 20 , 23 , aqueduct cleaning and maintenance 24 – 26 , restructuring of water systems 27 , 28 and a decrease in maintenance and final abandonment 24 , 29 – 31 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Reconstructing the hydraulics of the world’s first industrial complex, the second century CE Barbegal watermills, France

Passchier

Bourgeois²,

Viollet

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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The Barbegal watermill complex, a unique cluster of 16 waterwheels in southern France, was the first known attempt in Europe to set up an industrial-scale complex of machines during the culmination of Roman Civilization in the second century CE. Little is known about the state of technological advance in this period, especially in hydraulics and the contemporary diffusion of knowledge. Since the upper part of the Barbegal mill complex has been destroyed and no traces of the wooden machinery survived, the mode of operation of these mills has long remained elusive. Carbonate incrustations that formed on the woodwork of the mills were used to reconstruct its structure and function, revealing a sophisticated hydraulic setup unique in the history of water mills. The lower mills used an elbow shaped flume to bring water onto overshot millwheels. This flume was specially adapted to the small water basins and serial arrangement of the mills on the slope. Carbonate deposits from ancient water systems are therefore a powerful tool in archaeological reconstructions and provide tantalizing insights into the skills of Roman engineers during a period of history that is the direct predecessor of our modern civilization.

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Section: Discussion and Perspectivesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reconstructing the hydraulics of the world’s first industrial complex, the second century CE Barbegal watermills, France

Passchier

Bourgeois²,

Viollet

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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“…À Gleyze, ils ont fait disparaître 40 années d"enregistrement. Il en résulte que « la durée de fonctionnement donnée par les concrétions échantillonnées est susceptible de sous-estimer la durée réelle » (Benjelloun et al, 2019). Ces observations géoarchéologiques confirment la nécessité d"une approche pluridisciplinaire.…”

Section: Géoarchéologie Et Chronologie Des Concrétionsunclassified

Carbonates et « mémoire de l’eau » : l’apport des textes juridiques à la gestion des aqueducs urbains

Leveau¹

2019

ASE

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L'objectif de cet article est d'attirer l'attention des géoarchéologues qui travaillent sur les dépôts carbonatés des aqueducs sur l'intérêt de prendre en compte la réglementation juridique romaine qui en encadrait l'utilisation. La démarche est historiographique. Elle s'appuie sur l'étude de l'aqueduc de Nîmes, un aqueduc urbain, et sur celle de la branche sud de l'aqueduc d'Arles. Celle-ci a été affectée à un usage privé l'alimentation des moulins de Barbegal. Les propriétaires riverains d'un aqueduc public étaient autorisés à en utiliser l'eau contre une redevance. Ils avaient l'obligation légale d'entretenir le conduit et ses abords. La réglementation qui s'appliquait à l'aqueduc de Barbegal relevait du droit privé. Les caractéristiques et l'importance des concrétions de l'aqueduc de Nîmes dépendent autant d'une évolution naturelle que des interventions sur le canal pour des prises d'eau et pour son entretien. Dans le cas de l'aqueduc de Barbegal, l'observation des concrétions et leur analyse montrent (1) que les moulins n'ont pas fonctionné durant toute l'année, (2) que le bâtiment d'origine était couvert et que par la suite son toit ait été enlevé ou détruit, (3) que l'aqueduc a servi de réserve d'eau pendant ses périodes de fonctionnement. ABSTRACT. This article aims to draw the attention of geoarchaeologists who work on the carbonate deposits (sinter) of aqueducts to the importance of the legal regulation, which framed the use of aqueducts. The approach followed is historiographic. It is based on the study of the aqueduct of Nîmes, an urban aqueduct as well as the study of the south branch of the aqueduct of Arles. This one was assigned to private use, supplying of the mills of Barbegal. The residents along the line of a public aqueduct were allowed to use the water for a fee. They had the legal obligation to maintain the conduit and its surroundings. The regulations applicable to the Barbegal aqueduct were governed by private law. The characteristics and the importance of the concretions of the Nîmes aqueduct depend as much on a natural evolution as on interventions on the canal for water intakes and for its maintenance. In the case of the Barbegal aqueduct, the observation of the concretions and their analyses show (1) that the mills did not function throughout the year, (2) that the building was originally covered only by a roof that was subsequently removed or destroyed, (3) the aqueduct served as a water reserve during its period of use. MOTS-CLÉS. Aqueduc romain, public et privé, réglementation, entretien des canaux, dépôts carbonatés.

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“…In the process, these travertine deposits preserve a record of the complexly intertwined physical, chemical, and biological processes that have influenced their deposition 2 – 5 . Travertine deposited during the operation of historical aqueducts has recorded changes in human activity and climate in Europe and the Middle East 6 – 15 , Pre-Columbian North America 16 , Central Asia 17 and Australia 18 . While dominated by CaCO 3 crystals that precipitate directly from the flowing aqueduct water, aqueduct travertine also contains varying but relatively minor amounts of downstream-transported sediments and plant debris 19 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Travertine crystal growth ripples record the hydraulic history of ancient Rome’s Anio Novus aqueduct

Keenan‐Jones

Motta

García

et al. 2022

Sci Rep

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Travertine crystal growth ripples are used to reconstruct the early hydraulic history of the Anio Novus aqueduct of ancient Rome. These crystalline morphologies deposited within the aqueduct channel record the hydraulic history of gravity-driven turbulent flow at the time of Roman operation. The wavelength, amplitude, and steepness of these travertine crystal growth ripples indicate that large-scale sustained aqueduct flows scaled directly with the thickness of the aqueous viscous sublayer. Resulting critical shear Reynolds numbers are comparable with those reconstructed from heat/mass transfer crystalline ripples formed in other natural and engineered environments. This includes sediment transport in rivers, lakes, and oceans, chemical precipitation and dissolution in caves, and melting and freezing in ice. Where flow depth and perimeter could be reconstructed from the distribution and stratigraphy of the travertine within the Anio Novus aqueduct, flow velocity and rate have been quantified by deriving roughness-flow relationships that are independent of water temperature. More generally, under conditions of near-constant water temperature and kinematic viscosity within the Anio Novus aqueduct channel, the travertine crystal growth ripple wavelengths increased with decreasing flow velocity, indicating that systematic changes took place in flow rate during travertine deposition. This study establishes that travertine crystal growth ripples such as those preserved in the Anio Novus provide a sensitive record of past hydraulic conditions, which can be similarly reconstructed from travertine deposited in other ancient water conveyance and storage systems around the world.

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Geochemical study of carbonate concretions from the aqueduct of Nîmes (southern France): a climatic record for the first centuries AD?

Cited by 8 publications

References 25 publications

Reconstructing the hydraulics of the world’s first industrial complex, the second century CE Barbegal watermills, France

Reconstructing the hydraulics of the world’s first industrial complex, the second century CE Barbegal watermills, France

Carbonates et « mémoire de l’eau » : l’apport des textes juridiques à la gestion des aqueducs urbains

Travertine crystal growth ripples record the hydraulic history of ancient Rome’s Anio Novus aqueduct

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