Saturday, April 8, 2023

Quite the architectural achievement for the early 1300's

 


The Pont Valentré is a 14th-century six-span fortified stone arch bridge crossing the river Lot to the west of Cahors, in France. It has become a symbol of the city. After the decision was made to build it on 30 April 1306, construction began on 17 June 1308.

20 comments:

  1. Stuff like this had been built since at least 3,000 BC. Actually, go look at the stone work at Gobekli Tepe, now some 11,000 years old.

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    1. But there is some speculation that those folks had "help." Ancient Astronaut theorists would say yes....

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  2. Back when architects built things

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  3. The title is indicative of the thought pattern that past societies lacked the ability. The multitudinous evidence of thousands of years shows that to be false.

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  4. An engineer, not an architect, designed that.

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    1. Civil engineer

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    2. Professional Engineer (P.E.) licensure wasn't started until 1907 in the US, besides in France it's European Engineer (EUR ING) and that title comes before the engineer's name, like Doctor or Reverend. Regardless, there were no professional engineering governing bodies anywhere in the 12th century and at that time there was not a real distinction between architecture and engineering, they were simply builders, either masons or carpenters (or more likely both) that had been at it long enough to do the design work needed.

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  5. Meanwhile, all the roads that were paved during Obama's "shovel-ready" money wasting fest have already needed to be repaved.

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    1. Wonder where that $800B went.

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  6. Ancient Astronaut theorists

    Just say, “bud light drinkers”

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  7. Been there twice when passing through Cahors on a couple of different vacations the past few years. It is really cool. At the east end is a wine store selling various delights. Bought a great bottle of pink Malbec there. Looked like a Rose'. Easy access and parking on either end.

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  8. Ancient astronaut theorist have never said no to any nut job theory ever put
    forth. Same as all the other bs shows on History, National Geo, etc. No real
    science or history found anywhere that's not full of woke crap and outright
    lies!
    Bubbarust

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  9. No stone masons of today, or even those with high tech equipment, can explain the detailed work of Gobekli Tepe or Puma Punku, with their perfect inside carvings of stone, etc. Most say they could barely be made today with everything we have. Knowing what is known about the peoples they claim made them, its even more impossible to believe that they did it alone.

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  10. And they did it without computers, slide rules or any other modern instruments. They made things to last back then. Now they make things to fall apart so they can get paid to replace them.

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  11. No slide rules? I beg to differ. They had their ways.

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  12. 700 years later gov't intrusion at all levels makes such work impossible and unaffordable. Today it takes herculean effort just get a building permit for a simple home construction, for the few people that can actually pay for them.

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