A long time ago

A long, long time ago, the earth was the scene of immense and unrelenting chaos.

Landslides followed volcanic eruptions that treated the planet to astonishing fireworks displays.

Born of these awe-inspiring cataclysms, Perrier water resulted from a coming together of the elements.

Let's travel back in time to 218 B.C.E. Legend has it that Hannibal and his army, after crossing Spain on their way to conquer Rome, decided to set up camp on the site of what would become known, much later, as Les Bouillens . They found an ideal bivouac: water from the carbonated spring was plentiful, and the soldiers found it remarkably refreshing.

The spring is mentioned next around the time Julius Caesar was appointed proconsul of Gaul in 58 B.C.E. To reward his soldiers, Caesar gave them plots of land on the Languedoc plain. Water being rare in those parts, the Romans had to husband their water supply carefully. The Pont du Gard and the Constantine baths at Arles are the results of their efforts. The Romans were the first to build a stone basin at the site of the spring, along with a few buildings. These installations were a precursor to the spa that would be built much later on.