- Barbegal is a Roman Aqueduct and Mill with 16 waterwheels, located near Fontvieille, 6 miles (10km) east of Arles in France.
- The complex is considered to have held one of the most unusual concentrations of mechanical power in the Roman Empire..
The Roman Site
- The Barbegal Water Wheels were a 1st century CE construction built on the Arles Aqueduct, which remained active until at least the end of the third century CE.
- The ruins of the mill walls and aqueduct are still in place, although the wheels and grinding stones have gone.
- 16 waterwheels were placed in two parallel sets of 8.
- They are estimated to have been able to grind 4.5 tons of flour per day, enough to supply bread to more than 10,000 people.
Arles Museum of Antiquities
- Located at Presqu’ile du Cirque Romain, Arles.
- A model of the Barbegal overshot watermill is located in the Museum of Antiquities in Arles.
Method
- The wheels were positioned on the down slope of the Arles Aqueduct.
- 16 wheels in pairs produced flour for nearby Arles.
- Using the overshot wheel, gravity turned the highest wheel by pouring water onto it from above. The water then fell onto the wheel below, and so on until it reached the eighth wheel, after which it ran into a drain. The same water was used eight times to drive eight pairs of wheels.
Roman Roads
Nearby Sites
Photo and map: Barbegal aqueduct and mill, Fontvieille