Barbegal Mills

The Barbegal Mills are located near the town of Fontvieille, just a few kilometers northeast of Arles in the south of France. The site was built into a steep hillside to maximize the water pressure generated by the Roman aqueduct system.

This massive 2nd-century Roman complex functioned as an industrial-scale grain milling facility. It featured 16 water wheels arranged in descending pairs down the hillside, which historians estimate produced enough flour to feed the nearby city of Arelate (modern-day Arles).

Engineers and historians estimate that the 16-wheeled complex could produce around 30 kilowatts of continuous mechanical power. This massive energy output made it the greatest known concentration of mechanical power in the ancient world.

The Romans constructed a massive aqueduct system that channeled water from the Alpilles mountains directly to the top of the hill. From there, the water was cascaded down a steep slope over the 16 wheels in succession before draining into the surrounding plain.