Segovia Aqueduct: How Roman Builders Made 24,000 Granite Blocks Stand Without Mortar
Roman builders made roughly 24,000 granite blocks hold together without mortar by turning arches, keystones, and gravity into one compression system.
Segovia's Roman aqueduct turns a simple material—granite—into a self-supporting waterway. Roughly 24,000 blocks were stacked without mortar, and the surviving arcade rises about 28 metres above the city. 1
The arches were assembled over timber frames. Workers placed wedge-shaped stones around each frame and locked the arch with a carefully carved keystone. They used iron lifting tongs, oak rollers, treadwheel cranes, hemp ropes, pulleys, and water-swollen wooden wedges to cut and move the granite. 2
The two-tier arcade is one of Europe's most intact Roman aqueducts, and its dry stone blocks remain held together by compression. 3
Visuals include photographs by Bernard Gagnon, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0: Aqueduct of Segovia 01, 08, 02, and 06.
References
- 1Guided tour of the Segovia Aqueductturismodesegovia.com
- 2How it was madeturismodesegovia.com
- 3Aqueduct of Segoviawmf.org
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