'tis just life

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Ain't it funny,

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Baal as the leading male deity was equated with Zeus, the king of the gods.

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During the Hellenistics period, under the influence of the Ptolemaic dynasty of Egypt, Baalbek was re-named "Heliopolis" and the Syrian deities were absorbed into the Greek Pantheon.

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During the centuries that followed, Baalbek's continual occupation as a holy site led to a complex series of religious and cultural usurpation, which all left some mark on the site.

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Chief amongst these was the thunder god Baal and his sanctuary serviced the nearby coastal ports of Tyre, Sidon and Byblos.

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Before the Hellenistic and Roman occupation, Baalbek was the centre of worship for a triad of Syrian agricultural deities.

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Excavations have shown that the current Roman structures are simply part of a series that date back as far as the sixth century BC.

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The site of Baalbek, located on a broad plateau in the Bekaa Valley, is an ancient one.

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At the height of the city's power, under the Roman Empire, this religious complex was one of the most magnificent in the ancient world.

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The site of Baalbek also includes a massive sanctuary dedicated to Jupiter Heliopolitanis, complete with temple, colonnaded courtyards and elaborate propylaea (gates) as well as a small circular temple dedicated to the goddess Venus.

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The Temple of Bachus is one of several major structures located at Baalbek in modern Lebanon.

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Pont du Gard 笔记都在了……

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After the Pont du Gard had been completed, they were left in position so that workmen would be able to carry out future repairs.

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The sections of rough masonry protruding from the sides of the intermediate layer were used initially to hold scaffolding during the construction of the aqueduct.

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The Pont du Gard is constructed chiefly of large blocks of cut stone that have been laid together without the use of any mortar or clamps.

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In an effort to cut down on the wind resistance of the structure, each tier in the aqueduct is set slightly in form the one below.

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The central, 82-foot span across the Gard has four smaller arches above it, so that the vertical proportions which characterise the aqueduct are complete.

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There are three of these smaller arches to every one of the larger, 51-foot arches below.

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This structural rhythm continues into the top tier, which is composed of 35 arches, each of which is 4.56 metres in length.

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The attention to detail is such that where the arch of the second tier spans the Gard, it too has been lengthened to match the 82 feet of the span below.

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In a feature which has to do as much with aesthetics as with structural integrity, where they meet, the 11 arches in the second tier have been set directly above those in the base.

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This cuts down on the effects of erosion caused by running water.

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The wider central arch spans the river entirely so that it is not necessary for any of its support piers actually to sit in the river bed.

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This allows for the increased water flow.

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To allow for flooding of the normally shallow river, the foundation of each of the piers has been strengthened and the central archway has been slightly widened to 24.52 metres as opposed to 15.54 metres.

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These arches support the remaining tiers as well as the modern roadway.

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Rising from both banks of the river Gardon are five cut-stone piers which support the six massive arches that make up the base of the structure.

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The water channel, which runs along the top layer of the structure, is supported by three tiers of arches based on a simple series of proportions.

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The Pont du Gard is 275 metres long and 48.77 metres high.

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the incline was so steady that the level of the channel dropped by no more than 17 metres over the entire length of the aqueduct.