Aqueducts of Lugdunum

About

The ancient aqueducts of Lyon fed the Gallo-Roman city of Lugdunum. Located largely on the hill of Fourvière, it could reach an altitude of 300 meters (compared to 160 meters for the lower town on the banks of the Saône). In addition, few springs sprang from the hill, and none above the threshold of Trion.

In order to have safe drinking water throughout the city, use of the waters of the nearby mountain ranges (Monts d'Or, Monts du Lyonnais, massif du Pilat) was necessary, via a water system. One of the main features of these aqueducts, compared with the more conventional water systems of Nîmes or Rome, is the need for all works to use siphon systems to cross the valleys of the Yzeron and Rochecardon Creek, which separate the hill of Fourvière from the heights of the Monts du Lyonnais and the Monts d'Or from which the water came.