Segovia Aqueduct Quiz: Roman Arches Without Mortar

This Segovia aqueduct quiz looks up at one of the best preserved Roman structures in Spain. Play an interactive set of 10 questions on its building around AD 100, granite blocks with no mortar, about 167 arches, its height at Plaza del Azoguejo, water from the Frío River, repairs under Isabella, the devil legend, the city's coat of arms, UNESCO and roast suckling pig.

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🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

City
Which Spanish city has the famous Roman aqueduct?
Built
Roughly when was the aqueduct built?
Mortar
What holds the granite blocks together?
Arches
About how many arches does it have?
Height
About how tall is it at its highest?
Source
Where did the water come from?
Repair
Which queen had damaged arches rebuilt in the 1400s?
Legend
Which legend explains the aqueduct?
UNESCO
When was it listed with Segovia's old town?
Food
Which dish is Segovia famous for?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: Which Spanish city has the famous Roman aqueduct?
Answer: Segovia
It is north of Madrid.
Q2: Roughly when was the aqueduct built?
Answer: Around AD 100
It dates from the Roman Empire.
Q3: What holds the granite blocks together?
Answer: Nothing but balance and weight
No mortar was used.
Q4: About how many arches does it have?
Answer: About 167
Many are in two tiers.
Q5: About how tall is it at its highest?
Answer: About 28 meters
It peaks at Plaza del Azoguejo.
Q6: Where did the water come from?
Answer: The Frío River in the mountains
It flowed about 15 km.
Q7: Which queen had damaged arches rebuilt in the 1400s?
Answer: Isabella I
Moorish raids had damaged it.
Q8: Which legend explains the aqueduct?
Answer: The devil built it in one night
A girl tricked him before dawn.
Q9: When was it listed with Segovia's old town?
Answer: 1985
The Alcázar is also included.
Q10: Which dish is Segovia famous for?
Answer: Roast suckling pig
It is cut with the edge of a plate.

Granite Arches Without a Drop of Mortar

The Roman aqueduct of Segovia was built around AD 100 to bring water from the Frío River in the mountains to the city, about 15 kilometers away. Its most famous section crosses the city on about 167 arches, many in two tiers, reaching about 28 meters high at Plaza del Azoguejo.

Remarkably, its granite blocks are held together without mortar, balanced by careful cutting and their own weight. Moorish raids damaged some arches, and in the 1400s Queen Isabella I had them rebuilt. The aqueduct carried water into the city until modern times.

A local legend says the devil built it in one night to win a girl's soul, but she tricked him before dawn. The aqueduct appears on Segovia's coat of arms and is part of a UNESCO site listed in 1985. Visitors also come for roast suckling pig, traditionally cut with the edge of a plate.

What This Quiz Teaches

History fans will enjoy these questions.

When it was built
How it was constructed
Where its water came from
Which legends surround it
How it is protected

Did You Know?

Segovia's Alcázar is said to have inspired fairy-tale castles.
Traffic once passed under the arches until it was banned.
Water channels ran along the very top.
Niches on the arches once held statues.
Segovia's cathedral is one of Spain's last Gothic cathedrals.