Anyone for pizza?
By Judy Evans
@JudyEv (342277)
Rockingham, Australia
July 23, 2017 11:11am CST
The area around the Canal du Midi near Poilhes in France has some very interesting features. One of these is the Étang (pond) de Montady.
This was once a freshwater wetland but monks during the latter half of the 13th century drained the are using a series of radial ditches which all drain to a centre point. From here, the water flows through an underground culvert under the Malpas Tunnel which I’ve already written about.
The pattern of the drains has created wedge-shaped fields which, from a vantage point at the Oppidum d’Ensérne, make the area look like a giant pizza sliced up ready to be devoured by some giant species.
20 people like this
20 responses
@moffittjc (121740)
• Gainesville, Florida
23 Jul 17
Very ingenious of the monks to create that drainage system!
2 people like this
@moffittjc (121740)
• Gainesville, Florida
26 Jul 17
@JudyEv I wonder how many people it took, and how long it took, to do all that work with nothing but picks and shovels? Probably took quite a while.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (342277)
• Rockingham, Australia
26 Jul 17
@moffittjc You'd think it would have to take years. There's a lot of digging there.
1 person likes this
@Neiltarquin (1062)
• Rass, Saudi Arabia
23 Jul 17
I'm dying to have one. Pizza here in Saudi doesn't taste good.
2 people like this
@Neiltarquin (1062)
• Rass, Saudi Arabia
24 Jul 17
@JudyEv oh yeah... Thanks... I'll make one
1 person likes this
@shikharava (1838)
•
23 Jul 17
Yeah, that's one pizza which you can never have. The reality of it is truly saddening. :(
2 people like this
@JudyEv (342277)
• Rockingham, Australia
24 Jul 17
@shikharava You're very generous! 
1 person likes this
@shikharava (1838)
•
24 Jul 17
@JudyEv that's true. But I'll share with people. (*_*)
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (342277)
• Rockingham, Australia
24 Jul 17
Imagine the work that would have gone into creating this - just using shovels.
@silvermist (19702)
• India
23 Jul 17
That is a very unique photo.Very interesting.
2 people like this
@Hate2Iron (15727)
• Canada
23 Jul 17
LOL... you are right, it does look like a pizza. The photo did grab my attention. Couldn't decide if you were taking the shot from a plane or what was so different about the shot!
2 people like this
@JudyEv (342277)
• Rockingham, Australia
24 Jul 17
We were just up on a rise and looking down on it.
@Marilynda1225 (83103)
• United States
23 Jul 17
That's a very interesting picture and it does look like giant pizza!
2 people like this
@JudyEv (342277)
• Rockingham, Australia
24 Jul 17
They seem to have a variety of crops planted too, just to make the divisions even clearer.
@JudyEv (342277)
• Rockingham, Australia
24 Jul 17
Thanks. I thought a title with 'pizza' in it might attract a few people!
@GardenGerty (160998)
• United States
24 Jul 17
You are giving us such a nice tour, along with explanations of what we see. Can you imagine the hard work involved in making those ditches and tunnels before modern excavation techniques?
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (342277)
• Rockingham, Australia
24 Jul 17
Exactly. It's not exactly a small backyard vegetable patch is it? There must have been dozens of men working on it.
@rebelann (113001)
• El Paso, Texas
26 Jul 17
Wow, that's really kool. I'm always amazed how in this day and age we deem them less intelligent when clearly they created areas that we today won't even try. At least they did not poison their eco systems
@JudyEv (342277)
• Rockingham, Australia
26 Jul 17
Every day we come across more and more that leaves us open-mouthed.
@Freelanzer (10743)
• Canada
26 Jul 17
That's a great photo and it does make one hungry.
1 person likes this
@JohnRoberts (109846)
• Los Angeles, California
23 Jul 17
That is an interesting sight which you explained well.
1 person likes this
